The Diamond Cutter
by Nova Force
Summary: Mark your calendars for the Sadie Hoofkins Dance! Silver Spoon dares Diamond Tiara to take Snips, and the stakes are high. She must accept, or she won't be invited to Silver Spoon's birthday party. The daughter of Filthy Rich, however, develops secret feelings for the little unicorn. Can Diamond Tiara preserve her image as the Princess of Privilege while courting Snips, the Pauper?
1. Chapter 1: The Dare

The Diamond Cutter

By Nova Force

Chapter 1: The Dare

Two fillies sat together at a table in the backyard of the Ponyville schoolhouse. Although it was lunch time and most ponies ate with their friends, these two avoided socializing with their "lesser" peers. One of the fillies had just accepted a dare from the other that she did not like.

"You want me to ask _him_ to the dance?" Diamond Tiara asked.

Silver Spoon grimaced, "Oh yes, he's the stallion for you."

The pink and gray fillies looked across the playground to see two boyish unicorns joking around with each other. One of them was tall and gangly, complete with a dark yellow coat and a lime-green mop-top. His name was Snails. Snips, the one she was now destined to ask to the Sadie Hoofkins Dance, was a shorter, stubbier unicorn. His powder blue coat complemented his tan-colored spiky mane and tail, but not his buck teeth.

Diamond Tiara shuddered. _I think I'm going to hurl._ "Oh, c'mon, you can't be serious. Please pick somepony else."

Her best friend shook her head. "Sorry, you accepted the dare and now you're stuck."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Fine. I'll ask him this weekend."

Silver Spoon raised her hoof. "I don't think so! You have to do it when school gets out, and I have to watch to make sure you follow through."

"Aw, come on!" _I guess there's no weaseling out of this one._

The ringing of the bell announced that lunch was over. Several fillies and colts scurried back to class. Diamond Tiara waited to go inside so she could observe Snips and Snails. The two unicorns marched toward the schoolhouse, but while they were walking Snails suddenly stopped to smell a flower in the ground. Snips came up from behind, but he had his head turned. He collided with his best friend and caused them both to fall onto each other.

Silver Spoon elbowed Diamond Tiara's side, "What a heart throb!" She held her head high and laughed as she trotted back to class.

Diamond Tiara wore a scowl on her face as she followed her friend. _This has got to be the worst day of my life_. She couldn't tell which feeling was worse: the dread of asking Snips to the Sadie Hoofkins Dance, or the regret of suggesting that she and Silver Spoon play 'Truth or Dare'. Right now, it didn't matter because she was downright miserable.

She made her way to her next class, Art, which happened to be her favorite. Most ponies didn't realize that Diamond Tiara was quite an illustrator. She often doodled in class, not because she was a bad student, which most ponies assumed, but because she was envisioning her next private project. She had once hoped to feature her artwork in the school paper, the Foal Free Press, when she was the editor-in-chief. That dream went flying out the window when she was stripped of her position.

After agreeing to her dare, she became aware of the classmates in her Art class. Two ponies in particular stood out: Silver Spoon and, most regrettably, Snips. The ponies sat at their easels with canvas waiting for their teacher. Some had already begun working on their projects.

When Diamond Tiara got to her easel, she looked at her incomplete painting of a hill. The sky was still missing some clouds, but the trees had their leaves. She surveyed the paint bottles she had available until her concentration was interrupted.

"Hey, that's looking pretty good, Diamond," said a scratchy voice.

"What?" She whipped around to see Snips staring at her painting. His head tilted as he studied her work.

"Yeah, the sky is really coming along. I also love how the leaves on your trees blend into each other so you can't really tell where one starts and ends. Very cool."

"Y-you really like it?" A little blush appeared on her face.

"Totally! I can't wait to see it when it's done," he said. No matter how hard she tried, Diamond Tiara could not detect any sarcasm.

She saw, however, Silver Spoon trying to get her attention by leaning from her easel across the room. Once the two fillies made eye contact, Silver Spoon smirked and then made obnoxious kissing faces at her.

Diamond Tiara's face hardened. She glared at Snips. "Yes, well, nopony asked you."

Snips stepped back at her sharp remark. He walked to his easel puzzled by her sudden harshness.

Diamond Tiara stared blankly as she watched Snips take his seat. _Wow, that's the first time somepony's noticed my leaves like that._ She smiled in spite of herself.

The school bell rang again; Art class had officially begun. Cheerilee walked in through the door wearing a smock and ready to teach. "Hello, my wonderful students! Are you ready to make some art?" She stood at the front of the classroom. "We're not going to be covering any new material today because I want to give you time to work on your projects."

Several of the students' expressions lit up at the prospect of having a free period.

Cheerliee deflated their hopes, "That does not mean this is a study hall. I'll be coming around to check on each of your projects to see how far along you are. So please use this time wisely."

After the spirits of some students sank, they continued to work on their projects. Diamond Tiara looked at her painting and evaluated her options. _I think I'll add clouds today._ She dipped her brush into the white blob of paint on her palette. As she collected the proper amount of white, she couldn't help but overhear Cheerilee talking with Snips.

"Let's see how you're coming along." She turned his work toward her and looked bewildered. "Oh, my, what do we have here?"

Her stared at her hopefully. "It's supposed to be a rocket ship that looks like a dragon. Pretty cool, huh? The engines are supposed to be its wings and the front door is the mouth. That way, when you walk in it looks like you're being eaten! Tell me you've never wanted to see one of these babies before."

Cheerilee smiled. "You have a terrific imagination, my little pony. I would suggest using the round bristle brush for filling in the ship's paneling, which I think you're trying to make look like the dragon's scales?"

Snips hopped. "Yeah! That's exactly it!"

Diamond Tiara turned around to the counter hoping to find the jar that had all the brushes. _Round bristle brush? That actually might work for my clouds. _Before getting up to collect the brush she needed, a small paper airplane lodged itself in the back of her mane. She wheeled around to see where it came from, but all her classmates were intently focused on their own artwork and Cheerilee had her back turned. When she unraveled the paper, however, it became obvious who had thrown it.

Inside was a colored-pencil sketch of two crudely drawn ponies: one pink, the other blue. Together they stood in the center of a large heart. The navy blue pony wore what had to have been a tuxedo and top-hat, while the pink one was holding flowers and wearing a white dress. Scrawled at the bottom of the paper in capital letters was the sentence "I FOUND YOUR SPECIAL SOMEPONY!"

Diamond Tiara crumpled up the paper and began shooting daggers at Silver Spoon. The gray filly's body was shaking up and down, as if she were trying to stop laughing.

Before she had the chance to retaliate, Cheerilee came from behind her easel. "May I see your project, Diamond Tiara?"

The pink filly gritted her teeth, "Yes, ma'am."

"Let's have a look… oh yes." Cheerilee paused and admired what she was seeing. "You're doing so many wonderful things in this, Diamond. The splatter coloring on your trees' leaves is working beautifully. Snips was right."

Diamond Tiara's head snapped back. "Snips was what? He told you about this?"

Her teacher nodded. "Yes, he's doing something similar in his own project and he cited your technique as his inspiration. Now I can see why."

"Oh." She stood confused. _My technique was his inspiration?_

The rest of the class period carried on, though for Diamond Tiara it was time spent fretting over how to ask Snips to the dance. Somewhere in the chaos of her mind was an echo of Cheerilee's voice telling her how much Snips enjoyed her work, immediately followed by the image of Snips when he openly admired her tree leaves. Despite the brevity of his words, they carried with them a league of flattery.

Before long, the bell rang again. Like clockwork, all the ponies began putting away their materials and gathering their bags. Silver Spoon was the first pony out the door, but she waited out in the hall for Diamond Tiara.

"What are you doing?" the pink filly said coming out of the classroom.

"I'm holding your hooves to the fire." Silver Spoon said with a sly grin. She then jutted her head forward. "Here he comes."

Snips trotted through the doorway. He glanced over at the two fillies as he passed by. His face wrenched at the sight of Silver Spoon, but Diamond Tiara could have sworn that she saw him smile a little when he made eye contact with her.

Once he was out of earshot, Silver Spoon nudged her side. "Well, what are you waiting for? You have to ask him!"

Diamond Tiara took a step forward, but then froze. "What if I don't?"

Silver Spoon then dropped the bomb that spelled doom for every school-aged pony. "Then I'm not going to invite you to my birthday party."

As far as Diamond Tiara was concerned, those words could have been replaced with _"Then the world is going to end."_ Being excluded from a birthday party meant being uncool, and uncool ponies don't achieve much in their lives. Birthday parties were places to be seen and get noticed by the other popular ponies. These kinds of ponies can offer connections to other ponies with high social status. If she played her cards right, Diamond Tiara could market herself and network all the way to the city with the best reputation in Equestria, Canterlot.

Although a date with Snips to the Sadie Hoofkins Dance also threatened to ruin her image, she could probably manage the situation. There's no way to do damage control when you're not invited to a party. With a hard gulp, she accepted her fate.

She galloped down the hallway after Snips. "Hey! You!"

He turned around. "Hey Diamond, what is it?"

She adopted a business-like tone. "Listen, Snips. The Sadie Hoofkins Dance is coming up in a little over a week."

He wore a blank face. "And?"

The strength in Diamond Tiara's knees began to waver. She winced when she sized him up from horn to hoof. _At least he's got his Cutie Mark._ Her tone turned forceful. "And I've decided that you're going to be my date for that dance. You're going to pick me up, treat me like royalty, and give me a magical evening on the dance floor."

As she was talking, she leaned over until she towered above him. "Do I make myself clear?"

There was an eerie silence. Snips did not speak. Instead, he rapidly blinked as he tried to process what just happened. For being something of a simpleton, he was impossible to read.

Diamond Tiara backed away slowly when he did not immediately answer her. A nasty voice crept into her head. _What if he says "no"? Could this slime actually reject a princess like me?_

A more confident voice conquered her doubt: _What are you saying? You're the daughter of Filthy Rich. No pony rejects you._

Sure enough, Snips accepted. "Okay! That sounds like a lot of fun!"

_This cannot be happening to me. _"Good. Under no circumstances are you allowed to tell anypony about this. Do you understand?"

"Um, but won't everypony see us together at the dance?"

Diamond Tiara had no answer. The weight of his logic overpowered any attempt at forming a counter-argument. "Yes, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, you don't say a word to anypony. Not even 'Slugs' or whatever his name is."

One of his large eyebrows arched. "Snails? My best friend?"

She nodded. "Yes, that one. Not even him, or do I need to repeat myself?"

Snips shook his head. "No ma'am. I'll gladly take you to the Sadie Hoofkins Dance, and I won't tell a soul."

Her eyes narrowed. "You better not, or it's all off. Got it?"

"Yes ma'am." A gleeful smile split across his face.

Not wanting to tolerate his presence a second longer, she finished the conversation. "Good. Now get out of my sight."

With that, Snips trotted along with an extra skip in his step wearing a dopey grin on his face. Once he exited the schoolhouse, Diamond Tiara had a moment to herself. _Is this really what my life has come to? I'm now going to the Sadie Hoofkins Dance with an insect? This is going to be a headache to manage. At least he seems smart enough to follow orders._

Silver Spoon came up from behind. "I must say, Diamond, I am impressed! I didn't think you'd follow through!"

Diamond Tiara wiped away the sweat on her forehead. "Yeah, well consider me invited to your birthday party now."

Her best friend dipped her head. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Almost as if to herself, Diamond Tiara said, "I can't believe I'm actually going through with this."

"Me neither! I almost feel bad for you. He's so sketchy. I heard him prattling on to Miss Cheerilee about how much he liked your painting. He was so weird about it."

All of Diamond Tiara's thoughts came to a grinding halt. "Really, what did he say? I wonder if he really meant it."

"I'll say! The way he talked about your leaves, or whatever, made him sound like a total creeper."

Her cheeks reddened. "He liked my leaves that much?"

"I know, what a weirdo. But, hey, at least he's not a blank flank, right?"

"Yeah… right…"

A quiet voice inside Diamond Tiara tried to give her permission to feel complimented by Snips. No pony forced him to notice her painting; he did it on his own. There was nothing he wanted in return either. No matter how she looked at it, he must have praised her painting just to be nice. Even the tiniest drop of recognition can unleash a flood of validation.

Later that night, after Ponyville had gone to bed, Diamond Tiara lay in her bed in a deep sleep. At first she was motionless, but after a few minutes she began to twitch. She dreamed that she was standing on the same hill in her painting. Everything was perfect, except the sky was missing its clouds. She searched the area for her paintbrush, but it was nowhere to be found. The sky seemed to stare down at her and beg for some clouds.

After she could not find her brush, she sat on the hill in defeat. Diamond Tiara gazed at the sky. "I'm sorry I can't complete you." Tears welled up in her eyes.

A rattling noise came from the trees. She spun around to see the source, and out from the leaves jumped a little unicorn. When he landed, he trotted up the hill to meet her. It was Snips! In his mouth was her paintbrush. "Here you go!" He dropped the brush at her hooves and turned his attention to the sky. "I can't wait to see it when it's done!"

Diamond Tiara took her brush. "Really? You like it?"

He looked back at her and smiled with his buck teeth. "I really do."

The image of Snips was wiped away and replaced with Diamond Tiara's bedroom. She sat upright in her canopy bed and checked herself. She was perfectly intact, but an unsettling question bounced around in her head.

_Sweet merciful Celestia, do I like Snips?_


	2. Chapter 2: Silver Snails

Chapter 2: Silver Snails

The day started normally for Snips. He woke up, went to classes, and joked around with Snails. By the afternoon, however, there was quite a difference between this day and all the other ones. When he left school, only one thought dominated his mind.

_I'm a colt with a date!_

His senses were supercharged with adrenaline. He trotted through Ponyville and took pleasure in mundane things. A pair of birds flew over him. Where they were heading he did not know, yet he smiled at them. For the first time in his life, he was going to experience a date with a filly, and not just any filly, but Diamond Tiara. "I'm a colt with a date," he whispered to himself.

There was one place he had to go right away. He galloped as fast as his little unicorn legs would take him. He arrived at a small cottage and knocked on the door. The knob twisted, and Snails emerged. "Hey Snips! What's up?"

Although Diamond Tiara gave him explicit instructions not to tell anypony about her taking him the dance, Snips simply could not resist telling his best friend. "Guess who's got a date to Sadie Hoofkins Dance?"

Snails's jaw dropped to the floor. "No way! Who asked you?"

Snips closed his eyes and straightened up proudly. "Diamond Tiara."

"_What_?" Snails's eyes filled with disbelief and confusion.

Snips's proud posture shrunk as he revealed more of the story. "Well, she didn't actually ask. She came right up to me and told me it was going to happen."

Snips could see his friend trying to process this information. The taller unicorn tilted his head. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Snails didn't say anything. He stood in his doorway looking dumbfounded. His initial excitement was replaced by a speechless sense of gloom. Although he was normally slow on the uptake, this bombshell took longer than usual for him to process. "Let's go to my room," he beckoned with his head for Snips to come inside. The little unicorn followed his friend into the cottage.

The decorations in the room were typical for a young colt: a couple Wonderbolt posters, the _Daring Do_ book series on a small shelf, and a messy bed. Snails hopped on the bed and motioned for Snips to join him.

Snips obeyed. He waited for Snails to make the first move before he said anything else. So far none of Snails's body language suggested that he was excited for him. _What's going on? Is he jealous?_ Snips wondered.

Snails raised his hooves to rub his eyes. He moved one of them to his forehead as if he were trying to clear his mind. "Snips, why did you say 'yes' to Diamond Tiara? She has been mean to us for years."

Snips shifted uncomfortably as he could see that he would have to play defense. "I think 'moody' would be a better way to describe her."

Snails shook his head in frustration. "Are you kidding? That brat is way more than 'moody'. She's a spoiled, rich filly who treats ponies like dirt if she feels like she can't get anything from them. She doesn't even sit with anypony during lunch because she thinks she's better than the rest of us…"

About halfway through his rant, Snips tuned him out until he finished speaking. "Is there anything else you missed?"

"I'm serious! That girl is the queen of mean. Haven't you seen her endlessly tease Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo for not having their Cutie Marks? If I had a bit for every time she called them 'blank-flanks,' I'd have more money than her dad!"

Everything Snails said so far was true. Still, Snips tried to be impartial in his analysis of his date. "Yeah, I wish she'd stop that too." He made an attempt at objectivity. "But I think more than anything that she is making a cry for help."

Snails didn't bite. "Cry for help, my hoof! She'll get mad at you over the tiniest things, even if she's never met you before. Don't you remember the first time she and I met? She barked at me for having a piece of cake at her cute-ceañera."

Snips held out a hoof to help illustrate his counterpoints. "First of all, you took the first bite of that cake. It was her party, so she should have had the first bite. And second, you bit the cake in half and swallowed it in a single gulp!"

"I do remember it being delicious." His eyes stared off in his room as he remembered the cake's sweetness.

Snips reached over and patted his friend on the back. "So I guess that's why you two got off on the wrong hoof?"

Snails weighed Snips's argument. For a moment, it appeared as if he was about to accept his mistake until his face lit up with a new idea. "Okay, what about when she was removed from the _Foal Free Press_ for publishing all those false rumors about everypony in town?"

Snips shrugged. "What can I say? Power corrupts. She's lost that power."

Snails could see that he was getting nowhere. He decided to cut to the heart of the matter. "Do you even like her?"

Here was the million bit question. "Well, I know she can be a pain in the flank sometimes, but have you ever seen her paintings? They're really good."

Skepticism sprung from Snails's face. "She paints? I thought she just stayed at home and counted her money."

Snips leapt from the bed and stood in the center of the room. "She totally does paint! You should see her project in Art class. It's really something." An admiring grin spread across his face. "She's doing these awesome things with her tree leaves. It's like you can't even tell where they stop and begin."

Although he heard every word that Snips spoke, Snails could not connect the dots. "You like her because she paints well?"

Snips started to pace back and forth. "No, I just feel like there's more to Diamond Tiara than what she lets everypony see. I mean, you didn't even know she painted until now."

Snails put on a shrewd face. "Are you going to make any moves on her after the dance?"

He slowed his pacing to a full stop. "What do you mean?"

His friend lowered his voice to a smooth tone. "You know, some _moves_."

The implications of what Snails was suggesting shocked Snips. "Are you crazy? Diamond Tiara is a lady. She should be treated like one."

The surprise in Snails's voice was genuine. "Wow, you really must like her. I had no idea."

"It's not every day beautiful fillies like her ask me to dances, and in case you haven't noticed, they ain't exactly clamoring over each other for my attention either. So I don't want to blow this by acting like a boor. I mean, who knows? I'm willing to give her a chance since she's giving me one."

Snips resumed his pacing. As he did so, Snails thought long and hard over everything Snips told him. He still was not sold on the situation. A piece of the puzzle remained lost. "You say she's giving you a chance, but is she though?"

"What do you mean?" Snips started to get annoyed that Snails was being so cynical. A part of him started to regret telling Snails anything at all.

Snails leaned his head forward. His hair cast a shadow over his grave face. "How do you know she doesn't have some kind of ulterior motive?"

"Like what?" Snips scrunched his face. No ideas came to him.

Nor did any come to Snails, so he stamped his hooves hard on the floor. "I don't know! She's never paid any attention to you before other than to say something snarky. Now all of a sudden she's demanding that you take her to the Sadie Hoofkins Dance? Something's not right. Something's missing."

Snips turned his head to the side. "Again, like what? What could she possibly have to gain from me? Her father has more money than Celestia and could buy her the moon if she desired it."

Snails didn't speak, but the restraint on his face showed that he was keeping his thoughts to himself. Snips narrowed his eyes and peered into Snails's with hopes of finding an answer. He ventured one of the few guesses he had left about what his friend was thinking.

"You think she's leading me on or something?" When Snails's eyes flickered, Snips knew he hit a bull's-eye. Although on the surface he was frustrated with him, on a deeper level he could tell Snails meant well. "I know Diamond acts mean, but she's not cruel."

Snails spoke in a parental manner. "I think you should tell her that you can't go."

"Huh? Why should I do that?"

"Because she's going to hurt you somehow, I just know it."

Snips had enough of his pessimism. He decided to push back. "Why should you care? Are you jealous that she asked me and not you?"

Snails nearly choked. "Yuck! No way! I would rather drink bleach!"

"Then why are you against all this?"

Snails became quiet. His face showed that in his mind he was wrestling over something important. When he made eye contact with Snips, he looked like he was about to make a confession.

He bit his lower lip. "It's Silver Spoon." The moment he revealed her name, he hung his head in embarrassment.

This answered blindsided Snips. "Silver Spoon? What does she have to do with anything?"

Snail's voice started to quake. "I-I'm thinking about asking her to the dance."

The conversation had just taken a radical twist. "Wait, what? You are?"

"Yeah, I've been crushing on her hard for a while now." Snails couldn't even bring himself to look at Snips as he admitted his feelings.

Snips cocked an eyebrow. "But the whole point of the Sadie Hoofkins Dance is that the _filly_ has to ask the _colt_."

This tidbit of information didn't faze Snails in the slightest. "I know, but I don't think she's going to make the first move, so I will."

Snips scratched his mane; Snails's behavior didn't add up. "I'm a little confused. I mean, you've been awfully critical of Diamond so far, and Silver Spoon's not that much different."

Snails hurdled off his bed and towered over him. "Are you kidding? She's worlds apart from that brat. Diamond thinks she's so high and mighty wearing that ridiculous tiara of hers, and she tries too hard to be fashionable with those white streaks in her mane and tail. Silver Spoon, on the other hoof, sticks to a practical yet elegant pair of glasses and a tastefully simple necklace. She lets her mane shine naturally without any gimmicks. Everything about Silver Spoon is genuine, and everything about Diamond Tiara is phony."

Snips cowered beneath his best friend. "I didn't even know that you liked her. How come you never said anything?"

"You never asked. She's the reason I went to Diamond's dumb cute-ceañera in the first place. I couldn't have cared less about celebrating Diamond getting her Cutie Mark. Don't get me wrong, the cake she had was fantastic, but all the sweetness in Equestria doesn't hold a candle to the beauty that is Silver Spoon."

"Uh, are you sure about asking her to the dance?"

"Why not? Diamond Tiara just walked up to you and ordered that you take her. Who could have predicted _that_ was going to happen? How do you know Silver Spoon won't say 'yes'?"

"How do you know she won't say 'no'?"

"It's worth a try. What do I have to lose? Besides, now that you and Diamond Tiara are a hot item, you can put in a good word for me to her and she'll pass it along to Silver Spoon."

"I wouldn't say that Diamond and I are a 'hot item', but if that's what you want me to do…"

"Yes, please."

"Consider it done."

"Oh, thank you!" Snails scooped Snips off the ground and brought him in for a bear hug. When he placed him back on the ground, he opened up like Snips had never seen before. "I'm real sorry, buddy. I know I should be happier for you. I just don't want to see you get hurt. And, yeah, I have to admit that I'm jealous that you got a date. I mean, I've been wracking my brain for days now thinking about how to ask Silver Spoon out, and then you show up telling me you have a date with her best friend through no effort on your part whatsoever. All you had to do was say 'yes'."

"I didn't even have to do that. She just told me like it was a matter-of-fact. But I appreciate that, buddy. Yeah, I'll put in a good word for you. Who knows? What if the four of us went the Sadie Hoofkins as a double date?"

"That would be so awesome!" The two unicorns shared a bro-hoof.

"So you've got your Sadie Hoofkins date. Where do you go from here?"

"One step at a time. I don't want to rush things. I think tomorrow I might sit with her at lunch. That seems reasonable, right?"


	3. Chapter 3: Carrying Her Books

Chapter 3: Carrying Her Books

The sun shone over the Ponyville schoolhouse, where the students were enjoying their lunch. As usual, two wealthy fillies sat at their own table. Although the table did not have their names written on it, they certainly acted as if it did. There was nothing to stop other ponies from joining them, other than their condescending glares.

Diamond Tiara traced the tip of her hoof around the top of her glass of sparkling water. "Silver Spoon, I've been thinking. Since I'm trapped in this dare of yours, I've decided that I might as well make the most of it."

Silver Spoon swallowed a bite of her dandelion sandwich. "What do you mean?"

The pink filly pointed to the side of the table where both of their saddlebags lay. "My bags are awfully heavy. Snips seems to be good at following orders. So today, I'm going to make him carry them home for me. It would be a nice weight lifted from my back."

Silver Spoon reached over and gave her a light slap on the hoof. "Why, look at you! You certainly know how turn lemons into lemonade."

Diamond Tiara smirked. "It's all I can do. Daddy won't let me have my own butler, so I figured Snips would do just fine. Besides, the best part is that I don't even have to pay him."

Silver Spoon raised her glass. "This deserves a toast. Here's to your new servant."

Diamond Tiara followed suit. "And to my great idea."

The two ponies giggled as they clinked their sparkling waters together. While Diamond Tiara took her sip, Silver Spoon felt a whisper of envy. "I wish I had somepony to be my servant," she said to herself before taking her sip.

Out of nowhere, Diamond Tiara felt an unknown presence beside her.

"Hey, Diamond!" Snips seated himself at her table.

The pinky filly slowly turned her head in his direction. Her eyes didn't deceive her: Snips was eating lunch with her. She watched as the unicorn took out his lunchbox. After he set his thermos next to her glass, he wasted no time taking out his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Each of his movements was completely natural as if sitting at their table was nothing new for him. While he ate, he did not notice the two offended fillies looking at him.

Diamond Tiara frowned. "What do you think you're doing?"

Instead of swallowing, Snips lodged his food onto one side of his mouth. "I thought since we're going to the dance together, maybe we could eat lunch together, too." He resumed his chewing.

Silver Spoon had to jam her hooves into her mouth to keep from laughing. Diamond Tiara clenched her teeth and seethed. "That's not how this works, dolt-colt."

Snips did not pick up on her frustration. He put down his sandwich and untwisted the top of his thermos. "What do you mean?"

"I told you not to tell anypony about the dance!" the pink filly hissed.

"But I'm not. I'm just sitting here with you." However upset Diamond Tiara appeared to be, Snips remained calm. Silver Spoon sat back amused as she watched her best friend squirm. Her dare was beginning to pan out before her eyes. In her mind, if lunch was already this awkward, then the Sadie Hoofkins promised to be worse.She reveled in what she saw, until she felt a tapping on her shoulder from behind.

"Um, S-Silver Spoon?"

The gray filly turned around to see a gangly unicorn wobbling at the knees. His presence annoyed her immediately. She adjusted her glasses hoping that the image of Snails would change into a handsome stallion. Her effort was fruitless; Snails was still Snails. She sized him up and was repulsed. "What do you want?"

Snails spoke as if he had rehearsed his lines. "I am sorry to bother you during lunch, but there is something that I must ask you."

There was a pause. Then there was another. Snips stopped eating as he nervously watched his friend pop the big question. Diamond Tiara didn't care what was happening, so long as the attention moved away from her. Silver Spoon grew uncomfortable under the weight of Snails's eager staring. She broke the silence. "Well, what is it?"

The sun reflected in the sweat from Snails's brow. He had trouble starting his sentence, for he had pictured this moment differently in his mind. "Can we, uh, talk in private?"

In a panic, Silver Spoon turned to Diamond Tiara. She searched for a lifeline but instead received snickering. She closed her eyes to accept the inevitable. "Fine. You have one minute."

Snails finally broke from his script and showed true emotion. "Oh, thank you! That will be all I need!"

Diamond Tiara watched as Silver Spoon trotted away to the backside of the schoolhouse. It was a private place to speak. No doubt Snails chose to ask her there because if she refused, then he would be spared from public humiliation. Diamond felt no sympathy for her friend. _Now it's your turn to deal with a nuisance._

Snips had finished his sandwich and moved to his chocolate chip cookie. He nudged her. "So, Diamond, is that art book any good?"

She turned to him. "Excuse me? What book?"

"The one right there," Snips pointed at her saddlebag. Sticking out was a thick book with the title _Imagination Exploration: Finding Your Voice in Art. _"It looks pretty big. Do you like it? Is it helpful to you?"

Diamond Tiara gave a single nod. "Yes, actually. It's helped me a lot."

Snips finished his cookie. "Can I take a look at it?"

She hesitated. "What for?"

He pulled a napkin from his lunchbox and wiped his hooves. "Just curious."

Diamond Tiara leaned over to her bag and pulled her book from it. The book landed in front of her with a hefty _thud_, causing the two ponies to shake in place from the impact.

Instead of taking the book for himself, Snips scooted closer to her and started leafing through it. "It's too bad we don't have Art class today. How long have you been interested in painting?"

Her first instinct was to push him away, yet she did not. "Oh, for as long as I can remember, really."

Snips studied the pictures and information inside. He paused whenever a particular image caught his attention. Diamond Tiara intermittently peered over him to check the backside of the schoolhouse. _What could possibly be taking Silver Spoon so long? _At first she felt sorry for her, but then she realized that the longer Silver Spoon was gone, the more uncomfortable Snails was probably making her. The thought gave her a mean-spirited thrill.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she still had lunch to finish. While Snips went through her book, she continued to eat her own food. Nothing was said between the two ponies, but this strangely did not bother either of them. Diamond Tiara was surprised to find that she could have companionable silence with Snips.

The two sat this way until Diamond Tiara finished her meal. Snips then closed the book and slid it toward her. "This looks like a great resource. I bet it has helped your art look great. To be honest, I'm surprised by just how good your work is. I never would have guessed that you had such skill."

This hurt Diamond Tiara's feelings just a little. "What makes you say that?"

Snips shrugged a shoulder. "Well, you never really acted like you enjoyed this kind of stuff."

She put her hooves on her hips and pouted. "For your information, I do." She took her book and stuffed it back into her saddlebags. While she was leaning over, Snips asked her a question.

"Do you have any dreams, Diamond?"

Diamond Tiara sat up and eyed him suspiciously. "What's with the beauty pageant question?"

Snips's posture remained unchanged. "I'm not trying to be weird or invasive. I'd just like to know you better. Is there anything you dream about?"

She decided to play along. "Yes, actually. I wish I lived in Canterlot."

Snips looked confused. "Why don't you? You and your family can certainly afford to live there."

Diamond Tiara drooped in her seat. "That's just it. Daddy's business is here in Ponyville. He's talked about expanding Rich's Barnyard Bargains, but there isn't much 'barnyard' anything in Canterlot. He's already a leading retailer in this town, so it would make no sense for us to move." She threw her hooves up in despair. "Oh, but how I wish we could! I don't belong here in this rutty little town."

Ever so gently, Snips patted her on the back. "Have you ever even been to Canterlot? How do you know that you'd like it?"

Again, Diamond Tiara's first instinct was to push his patting away, but for some reason she allowed him to continue. Something about the contact felt nice to her. "I went with Daddy once on one of his business trips. I'll never forget how tall those golden spires were. So many famous ponies live there, too. I even saw the legendary fashion photographer, Photo Finish! I wanted to talk to her, but her entourage and the paparazzi were everywhere. I hope I can meet her someday, but I can't so long as I'm stuck here in Ponyville. From the moment we left Canterlot, I immediately wanted to return."

In the middle of her speech, Snips stopped patting and simply rested his hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sure Canterlot's a beautiful city, but I don't think visiting for a few days and living there are the same thing."

This comment prompted her to reject his consoling. She slapped his hoof away. "How can you say that? Have _you_ ever been to Canterlot?"

Snips shook his head. "No, never, but I don't think I would really care where I lived. As long as I have my friends with me, any place will do."

Diamond Tiara was going to respond, but nothing came out of her mouth. She knew he was wrong. He just had to be. How could Snips know anything if he had never set one hoof in Canterlot? Before she could think of something clever to say, he asked another question.

"Say, Diamond, I was wondering… may I carry your books for you?"

"I beg your pardon? Why?" _Who is this colt?_

Snips hopped out of his seat and trotted over to her saddlebags. "I just want to do it." He tapped at the rectangle outline protruding from the bags. "This art book is heavy. I'd hate for you to carry it along with your other school books."

Diamond Tiara gave up on making sense of Snips. Instead, she put her brain on autopilot. "Um, sure. That's, that's very kind of you."

Snips smiled, showing off his buckteeth. "Awesome! I'll meet you after school, and then we can head to your place."

"Sounds like a plan," Diamond Tiara held back before she let out, "thank you."

Snips winked. "And don't worry. I won't tell anypony. See ya!" With that, he trotted away, leaving her alone at the table. She watched as he regrouped with a rabble of his friends, none of whom she knew the names of, but the one that she did recognize was an elated looking Snails.

A voice came from behind her. "Sorry being away for so long." Silver Spoon came back to the lunch table looking smug.

Diamond Tiara felt relief seeing her friend return. "Well _that_ certainly took a while."

Silver Spoon rolled her eyes and threw her head back. "Yes, it took far longer than he deserved. At first he delivered this weird speech about the differences between love and lust, and how the stars at night 'pen the interweaving of destinies' or some nonsense like that."

"Is that all he wanted?" The curiosity ate at Diamond Tiara.

The gray filly searched through her saddlebags and pulled out a cloth. She took off her glasses, breathed on them, and then wiped each lens. "No, he asked me to the Sadie Hoofkins Dance."

Diamond Tiara gasped. "Are you serious? What did you say?"

"I accepted."

Diamond Tiara's eyes went as wide as saucers. She pinched herself to make certain that she was not dreaming. "But… why?"

"I actually got the idea from you. Since you're making Snips follow your orders, I thought it would also be fun to have a personal servant. From the way that creeper friend of his was ogling me, I saw that I could make him do anything. I just had to bat my eyelashes once before he agreed to carry _my_ books home. Oh, Diamond! Just think how much easier our lives will be having these dimwits work for us. They will be putty in our hooves. Of course, we can't get too used to it. We'll have to dump them at the dance, or we'll be the laughing stock of the school. Were you able to get Snips to carry your books?"

"Oh, yes. He hesitated at first, but once I threatened to not be his date to the dance, he practically begged to carry them." Sweat started to slide down the back of Diamond Tiara's neck.

Silver Spoon's food was still sitting on the table untouched. She reached for her glass of sparkling water. "Well, I believe another toast is order." She lifted her glass up. "To our new servants!"

Diamond Tiara grabbed her glass and tapped it with her friend's, though her voice was not as enthusiastic. "To our new servants."


	4. Chapter 4: Paint Games

Chapter 4: Paint Games

The bell rang. School was over for the day. Standing by the stoop of the school's entrance was a pair of giddy unicorns. They watched as dozens of fillies and colts flooded out the doorway. They kept their eyes sharp; at any moment two particular fillies were bound to emerge.

"This is going to be fun!" Snips said running in place.

"I can't believe this is happening. Who would've guessed that carrying a filly's books could be so exciting?" Snails hardly focused on anything else after lunch. For the first time, he was about to spend quality time with Silver Spoon – alone. "Gosh, my hooves are sweating. I hate when this happens."

Snips patted his friend on the back. "Relax, buddy. This is our chance for these girls to get to know us. Just be yourself."

Snails cast a suspicious look at him. "Well, look at you Mr. Knows-Everything-About-Relationships. You eat one lunch with Diamond and now all of a sudden you're giving advice?"

"I'm just saying that I didn't force anything." Snips said.

"Here they come!" Snails squeaked.

Two fillies appeared at the entryway. Together they walked down the steps in synchronization with their egos on full display. Neither of them was in a hurry. When they reached the bottom, Diamond Tiara spoke first. "Hello, boys."

"Hey! Long time, no see!" Snips showed no intimidation.

Snails was going to say something to Silver Spoon, but a dozen prepared greetings came out of his mouth all at once, resulting in an absurd babbling. The gray filly hesitated before forcing a giggle.

Diamond Tiara approached Snips and knelt down to rest her saddlebags on the ground. She pulled out several of her schoolbooks, including her art book. By the time she came back up to hand them to Snips, however, the little unicorn was already taking the books from her and putting them into his own saddlebags. After placing them nicely inside, he threw his bags over his back and grinned, "Let's go!"

Diamond Tiara felt a mild uneasiness when Snips automatically took her books, not because she thought he was being too forward, but because she liked it too much. She admired Snips's kindness.

The moment was short-lived, however, when Diamond Tiara noticed Silver Spoon watching her. The pink filly felt pressure to turn up her "bossy" dial. "Right, you will follow me to my house. This way!" She led Snips toward their destination, with the unicorn cheerfully carrying her books.

Silver Spoon watched as Diamond Tiara and Snips walked away. If she did not know better, she could have sworn that her best friend had a twinkle in her eye when Snips took her books. Before she had time to explore that possibility, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

There was Snails, beaming at her with a fixed gaze. "I guess that just leaves the two of us, huh?" the unicorn said in a love-stricken stupor.

Silver Spoon's patience dropped like a lead balloon. She laid her saddlebags on the ground. "Here you go."

Snails pitched his voice lower to sound as chivalrous as possible. "Which books would you like for me to carry?"

"What do you mean, 'which books'?" The filly pushed her belongings toward him.

The unicorn coughed, breaking his voice back to normal. "Oh, you want me to carry _all_ of them?"

Silver Spoon slowly circled around him. "A big strong stallion like you should have no problem with my things. That is, of course," she paused midsentence to come face-to-face with him. She leaned forward and lowered her glasses. Her violet eyes glistened as she whispered, "If you don't think you can…"

Snails straightened his legs and puffed up his chest. "Of course I can! Have no fear!" The gangly unicorn slid his head under her bags' straps and heaved them onto his back. The weight of his own bags combined with hers caused his muscles to strain. On the outside he showed no weakness, but inside he trembled with doubt.

"Come, this way." Silver Spoon trotted off toward her house. Snails followed, though at a much slower pace.

So far the walk had been pleasant. Filthy Rich's mansion was in a part of Ponyville that did not require Diamond Tiara and Snips to go through the town center, which spared her from being seen with him. Despite the heaviness of his saddlebags, the little colt moved at a brisk pace. One thing Diamond Tiara appreciated about him was how he did not feel the need to fill every moment with mindless conversation. This suited her – she felt sure Snips didn't share her refined interests. At one point, however, she noticed that Snips wasn't making _any_ attempts at conversation.

_Why isn't he talking to me? I am his date for the Sadie Hoofkins! He should be showering me with praise like there's no tomorrow. _She watched as Snips carried onward with his silent but cheery demeanor.

_I wonder what he's thinking. Probably something immature and stupid. Colts. _Diamond Tiara tried to analyze Snips's body language to get some sense of what was going on in his head. His Cutie Mark, a pair of scissors, caught her eye. _Even his Cutie Mark is childish. What does it even mean? I have to know._ "Snips, I don't understand your Cutie Mark. What's the deal with it?"

Snips turned to her, his face slightly puzzled. "My Cutie Mark?"

"Yes, do you like to cut things or something?"

Snips chuckled. "Well, yeah, but it's not as clear-cut, pardon the pun, as you make it sound."

This answer did not help her. "Explain."

"Well, like you, I really enjoy art class. However, I prefer the 'crafts' side of art. I love it whenever we get to build things. My all-time favorite art activity growing up was making cutout snowflakes. Our house would always get decorated with countless snowflakes that I made. I was proud of myself for never cutting the same design twice. For me, snowflakes are like ponies; they have their own uniqueness, and whenever they are together, they create natural harmony in Equestria. You know what I mean?"

A part of Diamond Tiara felt warmth at Snips's analogy. "I guess so."

The two ponies continued walking until the area around them started to feature more and more upscale homes. Snips slowed down so that he could take in the sight of such magnificent homes. "Gosh, I don't get to come by this side of town very much. You live in a beautiful neighborhood."

Diamond Tiara had kept going, but stopped when Snips started to admire her community. She backtracked toward him. "Yes, it's not Canterlot, but it's the best that money can buy in Ponyville. Come on, we're almost to my house."

She tugged at his saddlebags to pull him along. They journeyed a few more blocks until they reached a red, two-storied mansion with four pillars supporting a balcony. Diamond Tiara was about to go up her front porch steps, but saw that Snips was gaping. "Wowza. Nice place," he said.

Praise of her father's wealth tickled her. "It is, isn't it? Well, thank you for…" she took a second to find her voice, "…carrying my books."

"It's my pleasure!" Snips carefully lowered his body to shrug off his saddlebags. As he dug through his things to separate them from Diamond Tiara's, she noticed that he had worked up quite a sweat.

"Um, would you like to come in for a glass of water?"

The colt wiped the perspiration from his forehead. "Yeah, that'd be awesome. Thank you!"

"Sure, don't mention it." Diamond Tiara took her books and led him inside.

When the front doors opened, Snips did a double take. Not only did the mansion's vestibule have a spiral marble staircase, but off to the side was a grand piano. Hanging above it was a one of a kind oil painting of the great pony pianist, Frederic Horseshoepin. Everything in sight was a testament to Filthy Rich's business success.

"Wait here." Diamond Tiara laid her books and saddlebags by the door and trotted to her kitchen to fetch him some water. While she was gone, Snips marveled at the opulence around him. Living on the other side of Ponyville did not give him much opportunity to see this type of glamorous home. Although part of him was impressed by Diamond Tiara's mansion, another part was grateful that he didn't have the mentality that homes like this were considered unacceptable because they weren't in Canterlot.

"Here you go." Diamond Tiara reappeared and handed him water in a glass that most other ponies would only use on special occasions.

"Thanks!" Snips quickly started downing the water. It seemed as soon as she handed him the glass, he finished it. "Celestia, did I need that!"

Although he was holding the glass wrong, Diamond Tiara took in a tiny bit of pleasure returning a small favor.

Snips's eyes flashed open as if he had been struck by lightning. "You know what, Diamond? I just had an idea. Do you have any free time? I know a game I think you might like."

She slowly took the glass back from him as she tried to guess what he meant. "Alright. What is it?"

"First, we need a sheet of paper, a bottle of black paint, and a small plate. Do you have these things?"

"Yes, I'm sure I do. Put your things down by mine and follow me." Diamond Tiara went into her living room while Snips put his bags next to hers. He then followed to find her at a counter opening one of its drawers. Diamond dug around in it before pulling out the materials Snips requested. She closed the drawer and took the paper, plate, and bottle to the coffee table. She waved at Snips to come join her. "Ok, now what?"

The excitement in his voice was beginning to ramp up. "Awesome, so now we need to pour a little bit of the paint on the plate. Then we're each going to dip one hoof into the paint and–"

She interrupted him. "Wait a second. You want to hoof-paint? That's for preschool ponies!"

Snips shook his head. "No, we're not hoof-painting. At least, not exactly. Here, watch." Snips laid the sheet of paper onto the table and rested the small plate by its side. Carefully, he spilled a tiny blob of paint onto the plate and then closed the bottle. He dipped his hoof into the paint and hung it over the sheet of paper.

Diamond Tiara watched as Snips delicately outlined a little zigzag on the paper. The unicorn looked up at her and smiled. "It's your turn."

"What? I don't understand."

"Just follow my lead. Take your hoof, dip it in the paint, and then choose one of the ends of my line. From there, build on it by drawing your own. The idea is that we're going to make a picture line-by-line taking turns. The only rule is that you cannot lift your hoof once it touches the paper until you finish." He slid the plate to her. "I can't wait to see what we come up with!"

"Um, alright." Diamond Tiara dipped the tip of her hoof into the paint. Once she had enough, she stared at his line wondering where she could extend it. She lowered her hoof to one end of his line and traced an "S" shape. The smoothness of her line's curves contrasted with his sharp zigzag.

Snips, however, loved it. "Great! My turn." Little by little, the two ponies added lines of all kinds. There was no overall cohesion to the picture. Instead, whenever one of them started to outline one idea, the other would change the design into something else. At one point Diamond Tiara tried to make a clam, but Snips turned it into a boomerang. Likewise, he started to draw a mushroom, but she drew it into a cloud.

At last they ran out of space on the paper for any more pictures. "Not bad, Diamond. Not bad." Snips held up the paper and studied the array of doodles they made together. "I especially like this one." He tapped at the little cloud she made near the paper's edge. "You know, your art project might look good with some clouds."

"Really? That's funny you say that because I was actually going to add some the next time we had class." A nagging part of Diamond Tiara wanted to admit how she even had a dream that featured Snips enabling her to make those clouds.

"Ha! Great minds think alike, don't they?" Snips waggled his eyebrows.

"Yeah, they certainly do." Diamond Tiara was surprised at how easy it was to get along with Snips. Everything about him seemed so simple and uncomplicated. _This colt really doesn't need much to be happy._ While thinking of this, Diamond Tiara had a realization. "Snips, it just hit me. Do you have a suit for the dance?"

Snips's posture slunk down a bit. "Uh, actually I don't."

"I thought that might be the case. Hold on." Diamond Tiara got up and walked over to one of the living room desks. She pulled open a drawer and dug inside. After hearing some shuffling noises, a tiny pink shine caught Snips's eye. Diamond Tiara came back and handed him a jewel. "This should get you something acceptable from the Carousal Boutique. Go there on your way home and buy the most expensive suit they have."

Snips had never held anything of so much value before in all his life. "Oh, sure. I'll find something nice. I'll actually head there now. It's on my way home."

"Fantastic! Well then, let's wrap things up, shall we?"

"You got it. Thanks for playing with me. This was fun. I can't wait for the dance."

Diamond Tiara's heart skipped a beat. "Me neither."

Snips then left the living room and went back to the vestibule. He gathered his belongings as Diamond put away their little art experiment. "I'll hang on to this," she said, holding up their picture.

"Alright, cool. You can have it as a reminder for the next time you poo-poo hoof-painting. Thanks again for that glass of water."

Diamond Tiara came to see him out the door. "You're welcome." She opened the door for him.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" With that, Snips skipped out onto her front porch and trotted along his way home.

Diamond Tiara watched as the little unicorn left. _I'm not sure what color vest he could pull off, but he absolutely needs to go with a bowtie. He would look so cute. He could even wear it again at Silver Spoon's birthday par– _Her thoughts stopped dead in their tracks.

_ Snips won't be at the party. He's not supposed to be with me beyond the dance. Oh, Silver Spoon, why did you put me through this dare?_


	5. Chapter 5: Wrinkle Resistance

Chapter 5: Wrinkle Resistance

_Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever shopped here before_, thought Snips as he stood outside the Carousel Boutique. The little unicorn pulled out the jewel that Diamond Tiara gave him. He could see his tiny, pink reflection staring back at him. _I guess there's a first time for everything._ He stuffed the jewel back in his saddlebags.

The front door jingled when Snips entered. Ponyville's premiere clothing store had everything and more to offer in the way of fashion. As somepony who had never given too much thought to his appearance, Snips was a little overwhelmed. _Where do I start?_

"Hey Snips, welcome to the Carousel Boutique!" Sweetie Belle said, appearing from behind the front counter. "What brings you by?"

"I'm here to buy a suit. I need a really nice one."

"Well, you've come to the right place!" Sweetie Belle swelled with pride.

Snips glanced around the store for any other signs of life. "Is your sister home? I would like to see her finest work."

Sweetie Belle's head drooped. "Rarity's actually not here today. She and her friends went to the Crystal Empire. They'll be back tomorrow."

"Oh, I see." Snips did not even attempt to mask his disappointment.

Sweetie Belle stepped up her energy. "But don't worry! Rarity put me in charge until she gets back. If there's something you want, I'm sure I can get it for you."

Snips placed his saddlebags by the entrance. "What can I get with this?" Snips whipped out the shiny pink jewel.

The white unicorn stammered. "Oh, my!" _Rarity's going to jump over the moon if I make this sale!_ She coughed as she regained her composure. "Well, our more expensive colt apparel is this way."

Sweetie Belle led Snips to the back to the store. Along the way, they passed outfits of all shapes and sizes. Snips felt like a fish out of water. The more time he spent in the store, the more he realized just how little he cared about fashion. When he and Sweetie Belle passed through a short hallway, Snips stopped to gawk at several pony mannequins in the other rooms adorned with flashy sashes and necklaces. He could hardly believe that so many shades of color existed. The little colt felt his stomach begin to twist. "Uh, the colts' wear is more toned down than this, right?"

Sweetie Belle giggled. "Relax. Those are Rarity's commissions for some clientele from Canterlot. High society ponies have interesting taste, don't they?"

Snips could not tear his eyes away from the dresses. "I just can't see the appeal. Why would ponies from Canterlot want these?" _Is this how Diamond wishes that she dressed?_

Sweetie Belle straightened her posture and held up one hoof. "As Rarity often says, 'don't you know the client's always right?' Oh, before we go further, I need your measurements."

The colt blinked. "My measurements? What do you mean?"

Sweetile Belle tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow. "You don't go shopping for clothes very much, do you?"

Embarrassment drifted into his voice. "Not really."

The white unicorn hid a smile. "Although we have lots of suits here, we need exact measurements for things like your waist, coat size, and a bunch of other stuff. You don't just buy a suit off the shelf. We're in the business of tailor-made clothes. We're going to make a suit for Snips and Snips alone."

This level of attention made Snips feel special, and gave him a glimpse into Diamond Tiara's life. _Now I can see why Diamond seeks out this kind of stuff._ "What do we do first?"

Sweetie Belle went to work. "Stand over here." Right before Snips's eyes, it was as if Sweetie Belle started channeling Rarity. Each of her movements was instinctive. She placed him in front of a three-fold mirror. "Spread your hooves out, please. Make a rectangle."

Snips obliged, stretching his legs and stiffening them. After giving himself a quick scan in the mirror, he noticed that Sweetie Belle had disappeared. Before he broke his posture, she reappeared with a measuring tape. "Hold still, please," she ordered.

The white filly draped the tape around his neck. She gently squeezed and loosened it until it naturally wrapped around him. Snips remained motionless as each of his limbs were measured at different angles. At one point, he laughed when she wrapped the tape around his waist.

"I know it tickles, just a moment. I need to get this." Sweetie Belle didn't even crack a smile as she spoke with surgical focus. Her no-nonsense attitude startled him into keeping quiet. Once she finished, Sweetie Belle allowed the tape to automatically reel back into itself. "There! We're done."

Snips had to shake out his legs. "I don't know how those Royal Canterlot Guards stand in place for so long. What do we do next?"

Sweetie Belle's horn glowed. "Now we need to put an actual suit on you. That way we can then fit it to your measurements." Using her horn's magic, she summoned a suit from a collection rack. "I like this one because it's wool. You can wear it for hours without wrinkling. With a jewel like yours, we can go for the finer pieces. What do you think?"

_Diamond and I will be tearing it up on the dance floor. Wrinkle resistance sounds useful._ "Hypothetically speaking, do you think this suit would be acceptable for a fancy filly, like, say… Diamond Tiara?"

Sweetie Belle crinkled her brow. _Why would anypony want _her _approval?_ Though she could ponder over that question for many days, she could at least give Snips an answer."Well, when she's not calling my friends and me 'blank-flanks', she does seem to have a good sense of fashion, so, yeah! I'm willing to bet that this is Diamond Tiara-approved."

_Thank Celestia! _Snips displayed his buck teeth in a mighty grin. "I'll take it!"

In her excitement, Sweetie Belle thought out loud. "Awesome! Get ready to jump over the moon, Rarity!"

Snips didn't understand what that meant, but he didn't care. He was proud of himself for buying his Sadie Hoofkins getup. He envisioned himself twirling Diamond Tiara at the dance with everypony watching.

The two ponies left the fitting room and went back to the front of the store. Snips went to gather his saddlebags as Sweetie Belle went behind the cash register. Once more, Snips pulled out his jewel and gave it to her. She weighed it before disappearing under the counter to pull out the store safe. When she came back up, she rested the safe and jewel next to the register. "Jewels as valuable as this don't belong in the register. That's one of the first things Rarity taught me when I started out." The white unicorn twisted the safe's knob until there was a metallic _click_.

When she put the safe back, she looked as if she had something on her mind. "I don't mean to be nosey, Snips, but do you mind if I ask what the occasion is for this suit? I mean, it's something colts would wear for the Grand Galloping Gala, and we're too young for that." The white filly printed out his receipt and handed it to him.

He took the receipt, and his eyes flared as he caught the total at the bottom. "Well, okay, if you must know, I need to get this suit for the Sadie Hoofkins Dance."

Sweetie Belle's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?! Who are you going with?"

Before their conversation could proceed any further, the front door jingled again. Entering the store were Sweetie Belle's best friends, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "Hey Sweetie, we're here!" said the orange Pegasus.

Apple Bloom saw Snips right away. "Snips! What're you doing here?"

Before Snips could say a word, Sweetie Belle yelled out "Girls, Snips has a date to the Sadie Hookfins Dance!"

The two fillies' eyes lit up. Snips noticed that Sweetie Belle had come out from around the counter and stood behind him. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo quickly advanced, leaving him with no escape.

"Who's the lucky filly?" Apple Bloom asked.

Snips crammed the receipt into his bags. "I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to tell."

"Oh, come on! You can tell us." Scootaloo planted her hooves on the floor as if she were about to take off for a race. "Who is she? Is it Twist?"

Snips shook his head. "No, it's not Twist."

Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin. "Hmm, Cyan Skies?"

The colt shook his head again. "Not her either."

Apple Bloom hesitated before taking a wild guess. "Dinky Doo?"

"First of all, Dinky is Rumble's fillyfriend. Second, no."

Sweetie Belle walked past Snips to be on her friends' side. "Why can't you tell us? Have you been sworn to secrecy or something?"

Snips paused, and then spoke. "Actually, yes."

Scootaloo's little wings buzzed with excitement. "Okay, now we _have_ to know. Really, what's the big deal? We're going to find out at the dance, so what difference does it make if we know now?"

A little thought prodded his mind. _You did tell Snails already. _"Okay, I'll tell you," he took a deep breath. "I'm going to the Sadie Hoofkins with Diamond Tiara."

There were no words. The silence was so deafening that even the chirping birds outside could be heard through the glass windows. The three fillies' eyes were the size of dinner plates.

Scootaloo spoke first. "Say that again, Snips?"

"Diamond Tiara. She's my date to the dance."

"We heard you, but… what?"

Snips stood his ground. "I already told you. Diamond Tiara asked me to the dance and I said 'yes'."

A mischievous grin flitted across Sweetie Belle's face. "_Hypothetically speaking_, eh?"

Snips blushed and couldn't think of anything to say.

Apple Bloom took the floor. "How long have you and Diamond been together?"

Snips's stance wilted. "Uh, she told me yesterday that I was taking her to the dance." Upon saying the word "yesterday," the little colt could see the outbreak of skepticism on their faces.

Each filly had her own horrible opinion of Diamond Tiara, but Apple Bloom continued with her questioning. "Snips, it's really none of our business, but you and Diamond Tiara? I've never seen her be nice to anypony but Silver Spoon."

Snips was not going to go down this familiar road. He took one forceful step forward. "Look, Diamond and I just spent the afternoon together hoof-painting, and I need to get home. I appreciate your concern, but Snails and I already had this conversation. I know the world has it out for Diamond, and that she rubs ponies the wrong way, but she deserves a chance to be taken seriously. I'm tired of all the neigh-saying."

None of the fillies had a response. They wanted to pry, but Snips's mood showed them that it would be unwise to test his patience. The colt threw the topic right back at them. "What about you three? Have you fillies asked anypony to the dance?"

Sweetie Belle smiled inwardly. "I did. I asked Featherweight."

Snips gave a nod, "You and Feathers? Nice." He turned to Apple Bloom. "How about you?"

The little Earth pony brightened up. "Yeah, I'm taking Lance."

Snips's mind drew a blank. "Lance? Who's that?"

"I fenced with him when I had the Cutie Pox. After I got better, he wanted to keep fencing, but I couldn't, since, well, that's not my thing! I promised to make it up to him, so I figured I'd take him to the Sadie Hoofkins."

Snips thought harder, but he still could not put a face to her date. "Does Lance go to our school? I've never seen him before."

Apple Bloom "He doesn't go to our school. In fact, I'm sure the only time he's been around was during my Cutie Pox. Still, I asked Miss Cheerilee if it would be okay to bring him and she said it was. So, yeah, I'm going with Lance."

Snips turned to Scootaloo. "And what about you?"

"Rainbow Dash is going to be a chaperone, so I'll just hang with her."

_Figures. _Snips tightened the strap around his saddlebags. "Right, I'm out of here. Thank you again, Sweetie, for all your help today."

The white filly perked up. "It was my pleasure! Come back in a few days and everything will be ready."

"Will do!" Snip trotted off and left the store. When the door closed behind him, the three fillies remained unmoving in the center of the store. _Snips and Diamond Tiara._ Never did any of them expect to see the day _those_ two would get together. They were left with so many unanswered questions.

Apple Bloom broke the silence. "Hoof-painting? Isn't that for pre-school ponies?"


	6. Chapter 6: Canterlot Encounters

Chapter 6: Canterlot Encounters

Filthy Rich sat at a little table outside a Canterlot café. He eyed his golden wristwatch as he finished eating his eggplant panini. "I wonder what's keeping Silver Spoon. Does she know where to meet us?"

Diamond Tiara was frowning at her half-eaten salad. Her appetite escaped her whenever she wasn't getting her way. "Yes, she knows. I told her repeatedly that we would be here." She reached over the table and pulled her father's arm toward her to check his watch herself. "It's not like Silver Spoon to be late."

The business stallion wiped his mouth and signaled to a nearby waitress that he was ready for his check. "I hope she shows up soon. My meeting can't start without me."

Diamond Tiara sat up in her chair. "Oh, you don't have to wait for Silver Spoon to meet me, Daddy." She waited for his attention to wander to the waitress. While he was distracted, she nudged him to leave her alone. "I won't mind if you go ahead to your meeting." This subtle attempt to ditch him didn't go over very well.

"Over my dead body!" Filthy Rich startled the waitress, making her almost drop his money. "I'm not going to leave my precious Diamond Tiara alone in this big city. Those suits waiting for me can go jump in a lake before I let that happen!"

_So much for that. _She sulked in her seat, listlessly stirring her iced tea. "But doesn't being late make you look bad?"

Her father waved away her faux-concern. "Don't worry about that, sweetheart. Those yes-ponies work for me. You can be late to meetings when you're the boss. Our meeting is to see if we can open operations here in Canterlot. These high-society ponies would love a good bargain, right?"

"I hope so," Diamond Tiara looked down the street that was full of busybody ponies. She imagined an older version of herself walking among them. Everypony smiled at her and complimented her clothes.

The waitress came back to give Filthy Rich his receipt. Once she collected their plates and left, Filthy Rich turned his attention to his daughter. "So, tell me again about this new coltfriend of yours."

Diamond Tiara snapped out of her daze. "My _what_? Daddy, Snips is _not_ my coltfriend." She couldn't bring herself to look her father in the eye.

Her father rolled his eyes. "Sweetheart, I've made a lot of deals in my day, but I'm not buying this one. If he's not your coltfriend, then why did you ask him to be your date for the Sadie Hoofkins Dance? Sounds like a coltfriend to me."

If there was a button Diamond Tiara could have pressed to eject herself far away from this discussion, she would not have hesitated to push it. "No, he's just…" her mind raced to find an acceptable term to describe Snips, "a friend."

Filthy Rich let out a single, skeptical snort. "Well, how did you meet this 'friend' of yours?"

She chose her words carefully. "He's in my art class. One day he said some nice things about my project, so I thought I would reward him by taking him to the dance."

Her father's brows furrowed. "Remind me again what it is that you're painting?"

_How many times do I have to say it before it sticks? _"It's a landscape of a little hill. I worked really hard on making the trees in the background have their leaves blend into each other. Snips noticed them and said he liked them."

A look of supreme contentment washed over Filthy Rich's face; he had heard all that he needed to hear. "Listen, Diamond, I've been around the stable for a while. I've known all kinds of colts and fillies over the course of my life. Trust me, when a colt says he likes your leaves, that really means he likes you."

In the pit of her stomach, she knew he was right. "No, Daddy, you're wrong."

Still with that content look, he shrugged and shook his head. "It's the oldest trick in the book. I'm sure I pulled something similar when I was courting your mother. Ah, those were the days. I hope I can meet this coltfriend of yours."

"Stop calling him that!" Diamond Tiara huffed.

"Well, if he's not your coltfriend, then why are you and Silver Spoon shopping for dresses today? Why couldn't you girls have gone to the Carousel Boutique? That would've been easier on my pocketbook."

"Sorry we're late!" called a voice from down the block.

_We're?_ Diamond Tiara looked down the block and saw her best friend trotting along with her head held high. Next to Silver Spoon were two walking piles of shopping bags and wrapped boxes. After a few moments of speculation, Diamond Tiara realized that the piles were actually Snails carrying two overflowing saddlebags.

The gray filly walked up to their table. "I'm so sorry to keep you waiting, Diamond. We would have been here sooner if Snails weren't such a slowpoke." She shot Snails a dark glare before brightening up at Filthy Rich. "Hello, Mr. Rich! It's a pleasure as always."

"Nice to see you, too, Silver Spoon." Filthy Rich gave her a pat on the head. He looked over at Snails, who could not have looked more out of breath. "I suppose he's a 'friend' yours, Silver Spoon?"

"Who, him? Oh, yes. This is Snails. He's my," she coughed as a lone shiver went through her spine, "date to the Sadie Hoofkins Dance."

"Pleasure to meet you, son. Are you a friend of Snips?"

The gangly unicorn lifted his head to make eye contact. "Yes, sir. He's actually my best friend."

Filthy Rich got up from his seat, letting out a hearty laugh. "Excellent! Maybe you all can go on a double date! Well, make sure you two colts take good care of these fillies. Silver Spoon's like family to us." The business pony turned to his daughter. "Alright, pumpkin. Daddy's going to go to his meeting now. I'm expecting to see you all back at this café in two hours. Is that going to be enough time for you to find a dress?"

In a measured tone, she nodded. "Yes, that'll be plenty of time."

"That's my girl. Okay, Daddy loves you." He bent over and kissed his daughter on the forehead. With that, he turned and left them at the café.

Silver Spoon spoke first. "I saw a place selling dresses that are to die for. I saw one in particular that you must see. Diamond, it is so 'you.' You would be radiant in it."

_Radiant. I like the sound of that._ Diamond Tiara greedily rubbed her front hooves together. "Sounds like a plan. Where is this shop?"

"Just a few blocks down that way." The gray filly pointed in the direction from which she had come.

An exhausted voice broke into the conversation. "Do you girls mind if we take a breather first?" Snails had managed to take off his saddlebags while Filthy Rich was saying goodbye. He plopped into the business pony's now-vacant chair.

Silver Spoon reached over and rested her hoof on one of his cheeks. She gently pushed his face toward hers. "Oh, but Snails, honey, Diamond needs to get her dress for the Sadie Hoofkins – it's only a week away! The sooner we do this, the sooner we'll be able to spend time together. Can't we go now?"

The dopiest of dopey smiles spread across Snails's face. Despite how tired he was, a newfound strength arose within him. He leapt from the chair and lowered his voice, "Diamond, if a dress is what you need, then a dress is what you'll get. Let's go!" He threw on his overstuffed saddle bags, though his legs were wobbling in an instant.

Before the three ponies went to the store, something captured Diamond Tiara's eye.

"Wait, what's going on over there?" The pink filly squinted down the street where a group of ponies had gathered. She noticed a series of camera flashes – it was the Canterlot paparazzi. This meant one thing: a Canterlot celebrity was nearby.

"Silver Spoon, it's somepony rich and famous! Quick, let's go see who it is!" Diamond Tiara galloped toward the commotion with Silver Spoon close behind her.

Snails could not have cared less, so he took advantage of their departure and resumed relaxing. He called out to them in vain. "You girls don't mind me. I'll just sit here and take five." He threw his saddlebags down and collapsed into his chair.

The excitement built in Diamond Tiara with every step closer. _Who could it be? Sapphire Shores? Hoity-Toity? _ When she and Silver Spoon reached the edge of the crowd, a striking, Austrian-accented pony could be heard. "Thank you, thank you, everypony. I, Photo Finish, feel excited, overjoyed, and thrilled beyond my vildest dreams."

_It can't be!_ Diamond Tiara let out an audible gasp. Silver Spoon took the words right out of her mouth. "It's Photo Finish!"

One photographer yelled out a question. "Ms. Finish! When will be your next official appearance?"

The chic mare struck a powerful pose. "I, Photo Finish, am not yet ready to make zhe announcement of my next appearance. Do not fear; zhe announcement vill come in zhe next few days."

A younger filly journalist shouted the next question. "Ms. Finish! Is it true that this next appearance will be a career-first for you?"

The famous photographer turned to strike another stance. "Yes. I, Photo Finish, never vill yield in capturing de magicks! I'm going to find zhe art vherever it can be found."

A third, unknown voice broke through the crowd. "Ms. Finish, is there any validity to the claims that your relationship with Hoity Toity is moving beyond the professional? If so, how long have you two been seeing each other?"

Before another pony could say anything else, Photo Finish blurted out: "No more qvestions! Now, I go!"

With a distinct clap of her hooves, two members of Photo Finish's entourage lifted her onto a special, one-pony litter transport. Together they raised the litter and carried her away. The paparazzi followed, flashing their cameras in a desperate hope to capture her for their respective magazines.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were beside themselves. "She's even more illustrious in the flesh." Silverspoon said.

Diamond Tiara couldn't even blink. "She commands so much respect. Did you see how her entourage obeyed her commands? They never spoke while carrying her away."

Silver Spoon rubbed her chin. "That gives me an idea..." She looked back at the café to see Snails, who had not budged from his seat.

"What is it?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"You'll see. We'll need Snails for this one." Together the two fillies made their way to the café to find Snails catnapping in his chair.

"Hey!" Silver Spoon barked. Snails snapped out of his sleep and was on full-alert. "Wha, what? Huh, is everything okay?"

Silver Spoon put on a sly smile. "From now on, Snails, darling, whenever I clap my hooves together like this," she demonstrated the gesture for him, "I want you to carry me."

The dread in his eyes grew as he processed her request. "Are you serious?"

The gray filly's tone and expression hardened. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

"No! You're the boss." He looked momentarily uneasy. "But, uh, what about my saddlebags?

"What, you can't handle those and little ol' me at the same time?" Silver Spoon held a hoof to her chest as if she had been wounded. "Are you trying to say that I'm fat?"

"No, of course not!" Snails vigorously shook his head.

"Good." With that, Silver Spoon clapped her hooves together.

A little hornet of jealousy stung Diamond Tiara as she watched as Snails lower his body to allow Silver Spoon to hop aboard. She promised herself that she would make Snips carry her sometime before the dance. However, she noticed that once Snails had Silver Spoon and his saddlebags on his back, his leg muscles began to visibly shake.

She didn't like that. Photo Finish's entourage showed no signs of weakness when they carried her away. In Diamond Tiara's mind, she pictured Snips giving her a playful piggyback ride, not like an enslaved vehicle.

Diamond Tiara never said anything about it, either. Instead, she watched as Snails carried her best friend all the way to the store where Diamond Tiara was going to buy her dress. The pink filly had a feeling that if she asked Snips to do the same thing, he would have.

Silver Spoon was right; Diamond Tiara was going to look radiant in the dress she purchased. Filthy Rich even said so when he later met them at the café, though he couldn't help himself from mentioning that her dress was more than what a "friend" would expect.

A funny thing happened to Diamond Tiara on her way home to Ponyville. Even though she had been looking forward to this trip for some time, she didn't feel sad about leaving. Instead, a quiet excitement built inside her as she envisioned the moment when she would show Snips her dress.

_Really? You like it?_ Diamond said, twirling in place.

Snips smiled at her with his buck teeth. _I really do_.


	7. Chapter 7: Before the Storm

Chapter 7: Before the Storm

Snips decided to cut his recess short and get a little head start before the bell rang. The more he thought about his art project, the more he realized that his painting of the dragon-looking rocket ship needed work. After all, the art show was in three days, and the Sadie Hoofkins Dance was tomorrow! Cheerilee was kind enough to leave the art room unlocked for those who wanted to work overtime. _"How ironic it would be if the one thing keeping you from unlocking your potential was a locked door,"_ she once said.

On his way to the art room, Snips harbored a secret wish that Diamond Tiara would be in the room working on her project, too. Although in public she was standoffish toward him, she was a whole different filly when they were alone.

When he arrived at the room, his heart skipped a beat when he saw a filly diligently working. Unfortunately, it was Silver Spoon.

She felt the presence of another pony in the room. She leaned over the side of her easel and her expression twisted into one of annoyance upon seeing Snips. "What are you doing here?"

Snip's first instinct was to walk away, but his original goal was to begin working on his project before class started; seeing Diamond Tiara would have been a bonus. "Probably the same reason you're here. I have a lot left to do on my art project." Snips trotted right up to her workstation. "Mind if I have a sneak peek of what you're doing?"

Silver Spoon turned her whole easel with canvas toward the unicorn and proudly gestured at her project. "Feast your eyes."

Snips took a step back to take in what he was seeing. Her painting featured a pointy object with curvy diagonal lines all over it. "Is it supposed to be a drill?"

It was as if Snips had kicked a puppy. "No! It's not a 'drill'! Not even close!" Silver Spoon barked.

The colt inched backward to put safety space between them. "Then what is it?"

She pointed to the top of the painting and slowly lowered her hoof. "Duh, it's a raindrop that is rippling. Can't you see the ripples? See, raindrops make ripples in a pond, but the thing that causes ripples is actually rippling by itself. That's 'art'."

Snips tried to make his eyes unfocused. Perhaps her artwork was one of those special three-dimensional pieces that require your eyes to blur in order to really see it. He squinted and opened his eyes as wide as they would go but no such luck. Her emphatic pointing wasn't helping, either. "I'm sorry, but it looks like a drill to me."

Silver Spoon turned her project back toward her. She took a hard look at it before she turned to Snips again. Her expression dropped. The bite in her voice was replaced with doubt, "Does it really look like a drill?"

Snips smiled at her. "Well, yeah, but don't worry! It's a really cool looking drill." There was no trace of sarcasm in his words. A tiny blush appeared in Silver Spoon's cheeks.

He continued, "You know, Snails and I are excited to be taking you and Diamond to the Sadie Hoofkins Dance. We really appreciate the two of you asking us to go."

Silver Spoon eyed him to gauge his sincerity. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, Snails has been telling me how much he has enjoyed spending time with you this past week. He says you keep him on his hooves."

The gray filly snickered. "That I do."

With his buck teeth, Snips bit his lower lip. "Do you mind if I ask you something, Silver Spoon?"

The gray filly braced herself. _Please, Celestia, don't let it be a creepy question. _"What is it?"

"How come you and Diamond act differently when you're alone with us?"

This was not the question she was expecting. "I'm sorry?"

"Whenever Snails and I are with you two around others, you're not as nice to us. Why?"

The gray filly shifted her stance. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, I guess I should only speak for myself. I've had a lot of fun with Diamond these past few days, but she doesn't act the same when other ponies are around. I'll give you an example. Do you remember when Snails and I first carried your books home? When Diamond and I got to her place, I asked her if she wanted to hoof-paint and she agreed."

Silver Spoon snapped to attention at the mentioning of hoof-painting. She tried to picture her best friend partaking in such a pre-school pony activity. The idea itself was not entirely unbelievable, but what was hard for her to swallow was the thought of Diamond Tiara hoof-painting, with Snips, and having legitimate fun. She leaned forward. "Is that so?"

Snips nodded. "Yup, she was skeptical at first, but she got into it once we started. I felt like I got to see a side of her that most ponies don't get to see. I remember when I ate lunch with her she called me a 'dolt-colt'. Obviously that's not a nice thing to say, but she never called me anything like that when we were at her house. I want to know why she's this way. Since you and Diamond are cut from the same cloth, I figured the same might be true of you as well. Do you act differently around Snails in public versus private?"

No part of Silver Spoon wanted to continue this conversation. Although she loathed Snails, her relationship with him was none of Snips's business as far as she was concerned. She had to get rid of him. The question was how.

The next best thing happened. The bell rang.

_Shoot_. Talking with Silver Spoon cost Snips all his extra time to work on his project. Now he would have to double down during class. The good news was that Diamond Tiara would show up any minute.

Cheerilee came through the door and beamed at the sight of her students. "Hello, you two! Nice to see some ponies get an early start. I'll be giving you all more time in class to work on your projects. Some of you really need it. The art show is right around the corner!" The magenta mare went to the classroom supply closet to retrieve her smock.

Ponies started to filter into the classroom. They assumed their positions at their respective easels. One pink filly eventually popped in through the doorway, catching Snips's eye. He brightened up and headed toward her. "Hey, Diamond! Silver Spoon and I were just talking about you."

"Were you now?" She met him halfway. Silver Spoon could have sworn she saw her best friend smile when Snips approached.

The little unicorn continued. "Yeah, we're all going to have a great time at the dance tomorrow night."

Diamond Tiara almost smiled, but she caught herself. In the corner of her eye, she saw Silver Spoon paying close attention to her. She turned to Snips and frowned, "Just make sure you don't embarrass me, dolt-colt."

Snips was going to say something, but Cheerilee stepped between them. "Excuse me you two, but class has begun. Please go to your stations." She addressed the rest of the class. "Alright, my little ponies, before we begin I have the most wonderful news! I just finished signing a deal that will help add spice to our upcoming art show. We're going to have a celebrity judge from Canterlot!"

Diamond Tiara gasped. "A celebrity judge?"

Silver Spoon hopped in place. "From Canterlot?"

"Yes, and that judge will be…" Cheerilee paused for effect, "…the one and only Photo Finish!"

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon instantly locked eyes. _We just saw her!_

Cheerilee surveyed the classroom to see the different reactions among the students. While there was a diversity of emotion, the overall tone was dread. "I know some of you may not want to participate in the art show. If you don't, then come and talk to me after class. Don't let Miss Photo Finish's reputation scare you. She and I had a long discussion about how you are still students and are not professionals. She was very understanding of this and, in fact, excited about coming here to judge!"

Silver Spoon had a faraway look in her eyes. "A pony who judges others for a living; Sounds like a dream job if ever there was one."

"There's no new material today. Please use your time to work on your projects." Cheerilee's stomach gave a sudden gurgle. Her face flushed with pink as her knees weakened. "I'm so sorry, but you will have to excuse me. I must have eaten something that does not agree with me. I'll be right back."

Most ponies in class still had a way to go before their projects were anywhere close to being complete. Diamond Tiara, on the other hoof, was nearly finished. The only thing she needed to add to her landscape was clouds. Of course, clouds can be tricky. Most everypony expects them to be painted as white fluffy pillows. No, Diamond Tiara needed to be more advanced. Her clouds needed color depth and vagueness of shape, which meant that they had to be stratus clouds.

Diamond checked her easel. _I need a round bristle brush for this._ She turned to the counter where the jar of brushes sat. After inspecting each one, she still couldn't find what she sought.

With Miss Cheerilee out of the room, the pink filly felt more comfortable being herself. She marched to the classroom center and bellowed, "Hey! Who has the round bristle brush? I need one, now!" She captured the attention of everypony in class, each looking confounded by her sudden outburst.

Diamond continued, "Look, it's not my fault you slowpokes are taking forever with your little projects, but I'm almost done and want to finish today, so which one of you has it?"

No pony spoke. She scanned across each of her classmates' faces; one of them was bound to have a guilty look that would reveal possession of her brush. She fired an accusatory glare at Twist, who looked at her in return saying, "Don't look at me; I'm not even using a brush!"

Over the confused silence, Diamond Tiara heard the sound of a little pair of hooves trotting. Snips emerged from behind an easel. In his mouth was the round bristle brush.

He placed the brush on her easel. "Here you go, Diamond. I'm sorry for hogging it. I was finishing the paneling on my rocket ship. Dragon scales are a lot harder to paint than I thought they'd be."

Diamond Tiara's energy deflated. "Oh, I see. So, um, are you done with it?"

"Eh, not really, but you can have it. There's other stuff I can do in the meantime."

By this point the rest of the class resumed working. The pink filly took the brush from Snips. She just looked at him. A part of her wanted to reach over and give him a hug, but, once again, in her peripheral vision she felt the weight of Silver Spoon's stare.

Cheerilee came back into the room looking ruffled. "Sorry for leaving you all," she said, readjusting her smock. She muttered, "That's the last time I allow Big Mac to pack my lunch."

The remainder of the class continued without much happening, with the exception that near the end Diamond Tiara shouted, "Done!" She was the first pony to finish her artwork.

Cheerilee walked over and inspected Diamond Tiara's canvas. "Wow, Diamond, this really is wonderful! These clouds you've added really give character to your sky. The round bristle brush was an excellent choice for them."

"Thank you," she said, loud enough for the other ponies in class to hear.

"However," Cheerilee added, "I want you to know that true artists are never truly 'done'. Are you sure you've finished?"

Diamond Tiara did not give her teacher's question any serious consideration. "Absolutely," she said, wiping her hooves together.

Cheerilee smiled in return. "Okay, but you have my permission to make any additions or adjustments if you change your mind."

The bell rang and class was over. A line of desperate ponies formed in front of Cheerilee's desk. Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes as she was leaving the room. _Those talentless twits._ She halted for a moment when she saw Snips in that line. _He didn't finish?_ A pang of guilt washed over her for using the round bristle brush for most of the class.

Silver Spoon came to her side. The two fillies entered the hallway, but waited outside of the classroom. "Hey, Diamond, Snips told me you two were hoof-painting recently. Is that true?"

"He told you?" _I'm gonna kill him_. Diamond Tiara quickly went on the defense. "Yes, we did, but only because he begged me."

Her best friend looked frightened. "Diamond, do you actually… _like_ Snips?"

"No, don't be ridiculous! You should have seen him when he got to my house. He invited himself in! Daddy wasn't home, so he could not kick him out."

Skepticism waded into her voice. "Really? He said you had fun hoof-painting."

"Silver Spoon, honestly, who are you going to believe: your best friend or that nincompoop?"

The gray filly breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, I just wanted to make sure."

A distressed cry came from down the hallway. "I'm sorry I'm late!" Coming in fast was a gangly unicorn. Snails galloped to the two fillies and was out of breath when he arrived. "I'm sorry, Silver Spoon! I came as fast as I could. As soon as the bell rang, I flew out the door of biology."

"I'll let it go this time. Diamond was here to keep me company. In the meantime, here you go." Silver Spoon plopped her saddlebags on the floor and pushed them toward him. "You know what to do."

"Yes ma'am!" Snails bent over and threw the bags over his back.

"Take those to my desk in the math room. That's my next class, and I want to arrive with everything laid out for me. Pencil, paper, book, all of it. That pencil better be sharp when I sit down, by the way. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" Snails repeated as if he were training to be a part of Celestia's Royal Guard.

"Good. Now go," the gray mare said, making a shooing gesture. "I want to chat with Diamond a little while longer."

"Yes ma'am!" Snails whipped around and ran off to the math room.

Silver Spoon sighed with a sense of satisfaction. "Gosh, it's too bad we have to dump our slaves tomorrow night."

Diamond Tiara struggled to cover her jumble of emotions, responding half-heartedly. "Yes, the dance will be a blast."

Silver Spoon smiled. "Yep, and then we have my birthday party the next day. This is going to be some weekend!"

Diamond Tiara took a hard gulp, "You can say that again."


	8. Chapter 8: The Sadie Hoofkins Dance

Chapter 8: The Sadie Hoofkins Dance

"I gotta say, Snips, that suit you're wearing is really something." Snails said, slightly embarrassed by quality of his rent-a-tux.

"Thanks! Yeah, Sweetie Belle helped me get it. She took my measurements and tailored the suit – you name it and she did it." Snips said, admiring his sleeves. "I feel really good wearing this thing. I guess this is why Diamond Tiara invests so much in looking good."

The two unicorns stood outside the main door of a barn just outside of Ponyville that was rented for the dance. Pony couples started to show up, dressed in formal attire. The sight of them made Snails excited. "Snips, buddy, we've been friends for a long time. We've been through a lot together. All this time, we've been two hapless, single unicorns. Now look at us: We're about to spend the night with the fillies of our dreams. Tonight will be the night we become stallions."

The shorter unicorn gave his friend a curious look. "What do you mean?"

With confidence, Snails said, "Tonight we will get our first kisses."

Although Snips had entertained the thought, he knew something like that could not be forced. If kissing Diamond Tiara was anything but natural, then it would spell ruin for his prospects with her. "I hope so, but I don't wanna rush things."

Snails stamped a hoof on the ground. "What are you talking about? It's up to us to make it happen. Fillies love colts with that kind of savoir-faire."

Snips looked off to the side and rolled his eyes. He would have challenged Snails's thinking, but he could see that his best friend was set in his ways. Whatever plans Snails had up his sleeve was Silver Spoon's problem. Tonight was going to be special, and Snips planned on playing it safe.

"I wonder where our beautiful fillies are," Snails said with his stamped hoof now thumping in place.

"They're coming, don't worry. They told us to stay right here."

The assuredness in Snails's voice began to waver. "What if they don't come? They wouldn't stand us up, would they?"

"Would you relax? We haven't even gone inside and you're already beginning to sweat up a storm. Do you really think Silver Spoon's gonna want to be close to a clammy colt all evening?" Snips said.

Snails was going to respond, but something caught his eye. "Look! There they are!" He pointed down the road.

Two mighty steeds pulled an elaborate carriage that could have been suited for Princesses Celestia and Luna. The tinted windows vibrated with the thumping bass. By no means was such a vessel commonplace in Ponyville, but everything made sense when Snips saw Filthy Rich sitting in the coach's seat. Apparently, the wealthy pony spared no expense when it came to his daughter's party carriage.

The horse-drawn carriage came to a stop in front of Snips and Snails when the wealthy pony tugged the reins. "Whoa, Blitz. Whoa, Krieg."

Filthy Rich stepped down from the carriage and trotted to the two unicorns. Based on Diamond Tiara's description, he turned his attention to the one who wore the more expensive suit. "Are you Snips, my little filly's coltfriend?"

Hearing somepony refer to him as Diamond Tiara's "coltfriend" sent a thrill down his spine. If ponies started saying it out loud, then maybe it could actually become true. "Yes, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you." Snips extended a hoof forward.

Filthy Rich shook the smaller hoof with a firm delight. "The pleasure is mine, son." He leaned closer to Snips and lowered his voice. "Look, this is the first time my Diamond Tiara's had a special somepony. I want you all to have fun, but please bring her home in one piece."

Snips nodded. "You can count on me, Mr. Rich."

Diamond Tiara's father pulled back and gave him a pat on the shoulder. His voice resumed its normal volume. "Please, call me Filthy!" He trotted to the carriage and knocked on the door. "Girls, we're here!"

The thumping music died. When Filthy Rich opened the door, the first of the two angelic fillies descended to the ground. Diamond Tiara wore a one piece cerulean gown that featured a beautiful, crystal-embellished bodice with a laced-up ribbon closure. The moonlight reflected gently in her silky mane.

Diamond Tiara came up to Snips, who remained calm. She winked at him. "Try not to embarrass me, dolt-colt."

"I'll do my best, Diamond." He winked back. "Before we go inside, I have something for you."

She hesitated. "A present?"

"Here." Snips pulled a corsage from his coat. Something, however, was different about it. When Diamond Tiara took a closer look, she saw that it was not a tiny bouquet of flowers, but rather a collection of papers that were cut to look like flowers. "I spent all day making this for you. I hope you like it."

Diamond Tiara slipped on her gift and admired Snips's artistry. "You made this for me?"

Snips flashed his buck teeth. "Sure did! I had fun making it. It reminded me of the snowflakes I used to cut growing up."

No words came to Diamond Tiara. _No pony has ever put this much effort into a gift for me._ She rotated her foreleg to view her corsage from all different angles. When she finished, she looked at Snips and smiled. "Thank you."

"Shall we?" He motioned toward the barn door.

"Let's go." The pink filly turned back to the carriage. "Bye, Daddy!"

Filthy Rich waved to his daughter. "Bye, Sweetheart! Make good decisions!"

_Good decisions…_ she thought as she walked lockstep with Snips to the barn.

Filthy Rich brought his attention to Snails, who stood waiting at the carriage like a dog waiting for its owner. The wealthy pony wrinkled his nose when an odious stench hit him. _What in the hay is that smell?_ Upon closer examination, he could see growing sweat stains spreading across Snails's coat.

Snails nearly fainted when Silver Spoon emerged from the carriage. The gray filly wore a lavender sheath-style modern gown with hoof-beading and sequins along the front. She had unbraided her mane, allowing it to flow as if it were a part of the wind. She smiled at her date, but that smile quickly faded into disgust as she approached him.

"Snails, darling, did you bathe today?" She asked, shielding her nose from the stench.

"Yes ma'am! Twice!"

"I… see. Very well," she coughed as she whispered to herself, "let's go and get this over with."

Instead of walking together, Silver Spoon led the way with Snails following behind. Filthy Rich could not help but contrast their body language with Diamond Tiara and Snips. He shook his head. _I hope that colt knows what he's doing._ He turned to his mighty steeds. "Okay gentlestallions, let's go home."

* * *

The Sadie Hoofkins Dance had everything one would expect. The dim lighting created a shrouded atmosphere where anything could happen. Happy couples flooded the dance floor, while the more awkward, wallflower ponies stood by the punch table. The music tested those who had sensitive ear drums. Diamond Tiara expected to see Vinyl Scratch, Ponyville's premiere DJ, but when the pink filly looked over to the DJ's booth, she did a double take. Sitting behind the turntable was none other than Big McIntosh.

Dancing near Diamond Tiara was Apple Bloom with her date, Lance. She walked right up to the yellow filly and pulled her away from her dance partner. "Excuse me, but how did your brother become tonight's DJ? Where is DJ-PON3?"

The irritation in Apple Bloom's eyes could have been detected by anypony but Diamond Tiara. Apple Bloom knew that the only way to get rid of her was to answer the question. "Do you have any idea how many places book Vinyl Scratch? She's like the only DJ in Equestria. Since she's the best, her rates are ridiculous. In order to stay in the school's budget, Cheerilee asked Big Mac if he would like to volunteer, and he said, 'Eeyup'."

"Oh." Diamond Tiara took a moment to register what it meant "to stay in the budget." Apple Bloom didn't want to waste any more time, so she scuttled back to Lance. Diamond Tiara felt a tap on her shoulder. Snips held out a hoof and asked, "May I have this dance?"

A brooding piece of music with heavy beats roared from Big McIntosh's booth. Diamond Tiara gave Snips a grin. "You may." Together the two became lost in the crowd and began to dance.

The evening promised to build fun memories for many of the pony couples. Hips were swinging, pictures were taken, and jokes were told. Separate from the dance floor was an arrangement of circular tables. Half-empty cups of punch rested on their surfaces while their respective chairs were not pushed in after ponies got up to dance. One couple, however, remained at their table. The beautifully dressed but unhappy gray filly sat with her ungainly date.

Silver Spoon looked at Snails. "Get me some punch."

He got up from his seat. "Of course, and, uh, then maybe we can dance?"

The gray filly frowned. "I said to get me some punch!"

"Be right back!" Snails scurried away to the punch table.

Silver Spoon smacked her forehead. _So incompetent. How have I put up with him for this long?_ While she waited for her punch, she surveyed the dance floor full of ponies. _It's not fair; I should be out there!_ One couple hooked her eyes. _What's this? _In the middle of all the jiving fillies and colts were Diamond Tiara and Snips. The two of them were grooving to the beat of the music.

Silver Spoon got up from her seat and charged toward her best friend. _I've got to save her from that dweeb!_ About halfway to the dance floor, however, she stopped. Diamond Tiara and Snips had turned, and the look on the pink filly's face was not one of misery. On the contrary, her face was one big smile.

_Well call me a blank-flank. She's having fun with him._ Silver Spoon loped back to her table, trying to process what she saw. Waiting for her was Snails with a cup of punch ready in hoof.

"Here you are," he said, proud of himself.

She swiped the cup away from him without making eye contact. "Give me that."

The music had reached its end and a small interval of transition between songs filled the barn with silence. Snips took the moment to talk to his date. "Another dance, Diamond?"

The pink filly was panting. "Oh, Snips, my hooves are tired. I need to sit down before we have another go."

"Okay then, let's take a rest." He looked at the tables and saw Snails sitting with his date. "Silver Spoon's over there at that table. Why don't you go and sit with her and Snails while I get punch for us?"

Big McIntosh began the next song. Diamond Tiara had to shout for Snips to hear her. "That'd be great! Thanks!"

Snips moved through the dance floor. Diamond Tiara could barely hear his scratchy voice over the music, but she did catch "Pardon me" and "Sorry" a few times. She trotted over to the table where Silver Spoon was sitting.

When she sat down, her best friend turned to Snails. "Get me another cup of punch."

"Right away!" The unicorn got up and left, leaving the two fillies alone.

Silver Spoon had her front arms folded as she sulked in her chair. She glared across the table at Diamond Tiara.

"What's with you?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"What's with _me_? How can you ask that? Tell me, where's your date?"

Diamond Tiara pointed toward the punch table where she could see Snips and Snails talking with each other. "Like you, I'm making Snips get me something to drink. I figured I better get in as much servitude as I can before the night ends."

Silver Spoon leaned across the table and spoke flatly. "Diamond, drop the act. You are having fun out there."

_Time to play defense. _"Don't be ridiculous. I'm just as miserable as you. I can't wait to get these simpletons out of our manes. Why, if I have to dance one more ti–"

Silver Spoon interrupted. "I saw you smiling out there. You actually _like_ him. Don't lie to me."

"I'm not lying!" Diamond Tiara lied.

"Yes, you are! And now you're trying to insult my intelligence by lying to me again."

Diamond Tiara froze. Her silence was everything that Silver Spoon needed to hear. "Listen, Diamond, I don't care if you like Snips."

"You don't?"

"No, you can like anypony you want. However, if you and Snips become a couple, then you can't come to my birthday party tomorrow night."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm serious. If you can choose who you want to hang with, then so can I. Trust me, I'm not going to associate with anypony who's not destined for Canterlot. You saw the ponies there when we went dress shopping. Did anypony look like Snips? No. I can tell you right now that your coltfriend is as Canterlot-bound as a puddle of mud. So, again, you can do what you want."

Diamond Tiara pondered her friend's words. Her whole life she had dreamed of the day when she would reside in Canterlot, away from the simple life of Ponyville. Was it impossible to be with Snips and live in Canterlot? Diamond Tiara didn't have enough time to think, as a little cup of punch was placed in front of her.

"Sorry that took so long, but Snails and I bumped into Pipsqueak," Snips said.

"Oh, that's okay." Diamond Tiara looked into her punch. "Thank you."

When the next song finished, the lights in the barn came up, blinding the eyes of everypony. Then there was a sharp squeal of microphone feedback. Over the speakers, a soft tapping could be heard before a little voice spoke. "Uh, hello? Is this thing on?" It was Sweetie Belle.

All ponies turned their attention to the white filly. She stood in front of Big McIntosh's booth. "Hey, everypony! How you all doing tonight?" The crowd responded with a chorus of "good" and "great" and "wooooo!" Some random ponies even replied asking how Sweetie Belle was doing. "I'm awesome! So here's the what we're gonna do next. Big Mac asked me to help him slow things down a bit, so this next song is dedicated to all the fillies in the room. Oh, and hooves off Featherweight. He's mine."

Diamond Tiara couldn't help but smile at Sweetie Belle's possessiveness.

The light dimmed again. A slow piece of instrumental music began playing with Sweetie Belle's singing. Snips nudged Diamond Tiara. "One more dance, Diamond? This is a slow one."

The pink filly looked at her date. Silver Spoon's words rang in her head. _I'm not going to associate with anypony who's not destined for Canterlot._ She found her voice, "Okay, let's go."

Once again, the two ponies made their way onto the dance floor. They wedged between several couples that swayed together. Diamond Tiara turned her head back to the table to see Silver Spoon shaking her head in disapproval. _If you can choose who you want to hang with, then so can I._ A little knot in Diamond Tiara's stomach began to twist.

Snip stopped as he found a clearing in the dance floor that promised them enough breathing room. Snips and Diamond Tiara reared up and carefully wrapped their hooves around each other.

"You know what, Diamond?" Snips whispered in her ear. "I really enjoy being around you. These past few days have been fun for me. When you told me that I was taking you to the dance, I didn't really know what to expect. No pony I knew had anything nice to say about you. I feel fortunate to discover that not only are you beautiful, which anypony can see, but you're also really smart and talented… I was thinking that when this night is over, maybe we can start calling each other coltfriend and fillyfriend?"

Once Snips asked his question, the first thought in Diamond Tiara's mind was the voice of Silver Spoon. _Your coltfriend is as Canterlot-bound as a puddle of mud._ Diamond Tiara stopped dancing. She pushed Snips away. "Get off me."

The little unicorn had to regain his footing. "What's wrong?" This was not the reaction he expected.

Diamond Tiara's voice and body language turned cold. "I said, 'get off me'."

Snips tried to backpedal. "I'm sorry; we don't have to call each other those names if you don't want. They're just labels after all."

His words had no effect on her. Diamond Tiara took a deep breath. "I wouldn't be your fillyfriend if you were the last colt in Equestria! Do me a favor and stay away from me!"

It was like receiving a thousand blows to the gut from a helicopter blade. Confusion and sadness shattered his heart into pieces. Nothing in Snips's life had prepared him for this kind of rejection.

Diamond Tiara didn't wait for him to respond. She stomped past him and pushed through several slow-dancing couples.

Silver Spoon watched the whole thing from her table. A twisted smile crossed her face as she saw Diamond Tiara coming back. She almost got up to meet her halfway, but she felt a poke at her side.

The gray filly turned to see Snails staring at her with undivided attention. "Silver Spoon, with your permission, I would like to take our relationship to the next level."

"What are you talking about?"

The unicorn did not use words to answer her. Instead, he puckered his lips together and slowly began to lean forward.

Silver Spoon's eyes filled with terror. She got up and pushed him down in his chair. She clenched her teeth. "Are you insane? The sight of you makes me gag! I never want to see you again after tonight." She turned around and went to meet Diamond Tiara.

Snails watched Silver Spoon trot away. In the corner of his eye, he saw one unicorn gallop out of the crowd of slow dancing ponies. He didn't need to be told who it was; he recognized that run anywhere. Coincidentally, it was exactly the pony he needed to be with at this time. Snips ran out of the barn. Snails got up and galloped after him with tears in his eyes.

Silver Spoon greeted Diamond Tiara with a hug. "Well, that was fun while it lasted."

"Yes, it was." _Yes, it was_. Diamond Tiara forced the words to echo in her head. If she repeated the lie often enough, then it would become the truth.

"We'll have fun tomorrow at my party."

"I know we will." _I know we will._


	9. Chapter 9: Silver Spoon's Birthday Party

Chapter 9: Silver Spoon's Birthday Party

_No regrets. Tonight will be fun_, Diamond Tiara thought, standing outside Silver Spoon's mansion. In addition to getting a terrible night's sleep, something made her feel "off" all day. Her body ached in a way that she could not pinpoint. She figured that a birthday party was just what she needed. The pink filly knocked on the front door.

"Hey there, fillyfriend, come on in!" Silver Spoon said, welcoming her with a kiss on each cheek.

Diamond Tiara walked in and handed her a small, wrapped box with a silver bow. "Happy birthday. This is for you."

Silver Spoon had no trouble accepting the gift. "Oh, Diamond, thank you. I'll put this with the others." The two ponies walked into the living room which had been transformed into a celebration hub. Silver Spoon placed Diamond Tiara's present on a large pile of other gifts from her parents and extended family.

There was one thing peculiar about the situation. Despite the many presents, Diamond Tiara was the only pony to show up thus far, and she was a filly who had perfected the art of being fashionably late. "Where is everypony?" she asked.

Her best friend showed no concern. "Oh, I'm sure they're on their way. In the meantime, have a look at this gorgeous anklet." She waved her foreleg with pride.

Glittering in Diamond Tiara's eyes was a platinum, gem-encrusted piece of jewelry. The pink filly couldn't help but gape. "Who's it from?"

"My cousin, Silver Platter."

"Ah, I've always liked her."

Silver Spoon pulled the anklet closer to her face and smiled over it. "She and I have had our differences, but after a gift like this she'll be in my good graces for years." The gray filly quickly dropped her foreleg as her voice turned apologetic. "Oh, what am I doing? It just hit me that the last piece of jewelry you wore was that crummy, pre-school cutout from Snips. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rub this in your face."

"No, it's all right. I trashed that garbage the moment I got home," Diamond Tiara lied. Even thinking about that corsage, which currently rested on her bedside table, made her feel worse. She wanted to change the subject. "Where are your parents?"

"My parents? Please. You think a mature young mare like me would let her parents come to her birthday party? Do you also think we're going to be hoof-painting?"

There was an awkward silence. Diamond Tiara did not know what to say. Silver Spoon burst out laughing. "Oh, what's wrong with me today? I'm sorry again, Diamond. I just had to give you a little tease."

Normally jokes were funny, but only when they came at the expense of other ponies. Diamond Tiara would have made a fuss, but thinking about hoof-painting with Snips had a calming effect on her. In fact, the more she thought of it, the more she smiled. Silver Spoon noticed this and was slightly taken aback. "Hey now, you liked that joke?"

Diamond Tiara threw her a curve ball. "You know, it's just us. Maybe we should. Hoof-painting is actually pretty fun."

Silver Spoon tilted her head. "What?"

_Time to go on the offensive. _"Sure, I mean, when I did it with Snips, he was a little annoying, but the hoof-painting was great. It made me feel creative."

Silver Spoon was not on the same page. "Um, okay."

"No, really! It's not just slopping paint into a random pattern. There's a lot of potential to go from nothing to something. Do you know what I mean?"

"Are you being serious?" The gray filly's face grew concerned.

With her eyes closed, Diamond Tiara gave a single, confident nod. "Yes."

Silver Spoon could not determine if her best friend was being serious or playing a joke. "Diamond, do you know who hoof-paints? Pre-school ponies and weirdos like Snips and Snails. I had fun hoof-painting as a toddler, but only as a toddler. I'll bet you my family's fortune that no pony hoof-paints in Canterlot."

Diamond Tiara knew that might have been true, but she no longer had the energy to care. She didn't want to have to convince her best friend that hoof-painting was fun. She didn't want to call Snips and Snails names anymore. Above all, she didn't want to lie anymore about her feelings.

Her mind was made up. The ache in her body started to subside, but it was now replaced with an accelerated heartbeat. "Silver Spoon, what if I told you that I like Snips?"

Her friend looked skeptical. "I would think you're trying to pull one on me."

Diamond Tiara waited a beat. "Well, guess what: I like Snips."

There was another silence, more awkward than the first, but this time the horseshoe was on the other hoof. Silver Spoon did not look shocked, but rather confused. "But you dumped him last night. I saw you do it."

"I know, but I didn't want to." Ever so slowly, the dam of dishonesty that Diamond Tiara had built began to crumble. The falsehoods about her feelings for Snips were washing away.

Silver Spoon was now staring at the floor. She had something on her mind, but she was formulating how to say it. "Diamond, I had a feeling this was true. I thought that I made myself clear last night before you cut things off with Snips, pardon the pun. Listen, we've been friends for a long time. I'm proud to call you my best friend. Ponies like us belong with Equestria's finest, and that's in Canterlot, not Ponyville. How do you expect to get to Canterlot with Snips anchoring you in this small town?"

The scenario was one Diamond Tiara wrestled with for days. "I'm not sure."

"You're not sure because the answer is that you can't. I'm sure Snips was very nice to you, but Snails was nice to me, too. You didn't see me develop feelings for that doofus."

She waited for Diamond Tiara to speak, but the pink filly offered no response. Silver Spoon continued, "It's like I said before. You can choose to be with any pony you want, but so can I. Please don't make me choose to leave you behind in Ponyville. I want the best life possible, and that includes having my best friend at my side in Canterlot."

Diamond Tiara looked around the room. "Silver Spoon, no pony's here. Ponies don't like us. I'm starting to think that the only reason that they came to my cutecenra was for the cake."

Silver Spoon shook her head. "That's not true! Everypony wants to _be_ us. Those who say otherwise are just jealous. Don't you remember how easy it was to get Snips and Snails to be our dates? That alone is proof that we are special. We belong in a special place. What do you see in Snips, anyway?"

An honest question deserved an honest answer. "He notices things. He liked my leaves."

"Your leaves? What leaves?"

"In my art project. I made the leaves blend into each other in a way that you can't really tell where one starts and ends. He noticed that and it made me feel good."

No matter how much Silver Spoon scrunched her face, she could not see the logic. "So you like Snips because he said something nice about your painting? So, what, is that all it takes to be the pony of your dreams?"

_Snips _is_ the pony of my dreams – in more ways than one. _Whenever Diamond Tiara normally had a dream, she would forget it moments after she was awake. Her dream where Snips gave her the paintbrush that she needed to complete her painting was as vivid as the project itself.

_My project._ Inspiration had struck. It called to Diamond Tiara. She had no time to waste."Silver Spoon, I'm sorry, but I need to go."

Terror gripped Silver Spoon. "What? Y-you're leaving? But it's my birthday party!"

"I know, and I love you, but there's something I have to do – now."

Diamond Tiara headed toward the front door without giving Silver Spoon a second look. She left and galloped as hard as her little pink legs would carry her. Silver Spoon stood at the entrance of her house and called out to her, "Please don't leave me all alone!"

It was too late. Wild horses could not have stopped Diamond Tiara. Her destination was the Ponyville schoolhouse. Since it was the weekend, however, there were no guarantees that the school would be open. She clung to one vestige of hope. Tomorrow marked not only the beginning of the new school week, but also the art show. If Diamond Tiara was a betting filly, she would have wagered that Cheerilee was at the school prepping for the week ahead.

If not, she was sunk.

Diamond Tiara had never been much of an athlete, but even the Wonderbolts would have been impressed with her speed. Silver Spoon's neighborhood was now behind her and the heart of Ponyville, the town square, grew on the horizon. She felt grateful that it was nighttime, for the heat of Celestia's sunlight would have made her journey more unpleasant.

She ran and she ran. _Almost there, almost there._ When Diamond Tiara made it into the town square, only a hoof-ful of ponies was out. One couldn't blame them; it was a school night. She praised her lucky stars; not having many ponies out made traversing the town square much simpler. The schoolhouse was just outside the perimeter and around a tiny hill.

As she galloped, Diamond Tiara looked up at the stars. She closed her eyes and made a wish. _Please be there, please be there._ Her tiara fell from her head because she was running so hard. Under normal circumstances, she would have noticed in a heartbeat that she was missing her signature coronet.

Her focus was elsewhere. _Please be there, please be there._ She came around the tiny hill, and her final destination came into view.

Luna must have been watching over her on this night. A lonely light shone in the corner of the Ponyville schoolhouse. _Yes!_ Diamond Tiara found her second wind and sprinted toward the front door. She didn't even bother knocking. She twisted the knob hoping it would be unlocked and, sure enough, it was.

The pink filly darted down the hall to the source of light. The door to Cheerilee's office was open, so Diamond Tiara let herself in. The truth was she would have let herself in regardless of the door's position.

Sitting forward in her chair was Cheerilee. The magenta mare had a pencil in her mouth and an array of papers strewn about her desk. Her concentration broke as she noticed her student's presence. "Diamond Tiara, what are you doing here?" She saw that the pink filly's tiara was missing. "Is everything all right?"

Although she was out of breath, Diamond Tiara felt supercharged. "Miss Cheerilee, I would really appreciate it if I could work on my art project. I have one more thing that I forgot to add. May I, please?"

Cheerilee's initial concern was dashed as her face filled with delight. "Spoken like a true artist. Only those most determined to succeed push themselves until the last possible moment." She opened her desk drawer and grabbed her keys. "Of course you may, follow me!"

Together, the two ponies headed toward the art room. In her mind's eye, Diamond Tiara could see her finished project as clear as day. The process of translating her vision onto her canvas might take a while, but that didn't matter. At this point, she considered the "whatever it takes" approach the only viable option.

"Here we are." Cheerilee unlocked the door and turned on the light. The haunting stillness of the room during night hours gave Diamond Tiara the creeps as she entered. Her teacher stood inside the door frame. "I'll be in my room grading papers if you need me, Diamond. Oh, I'm so excited to see what new addition you make!"

Diamond Tiara watched as Cheerilee went back to her office. She took a deep breath, "Me too." The pink filly trotted to her easel. Draped over it was a large cloth meant to shield the finished product from snooping, copycat eyes. In one massive pull, Diamond Tiara yanked off the cloth and stared at her painted landscape.

Any casual observer would have believed her artwork needed no further additions, but inspiration can strike at a moment's notice – even in the form of a little blue unicorn with buck teeth. As bittersweet thoughts of Snips flooded her mind, she thought, _This may not be enough, but I hope it'll at least show that I care._

_What do I need first?_ She smiled as her eyes fell upon the round bristle brush. _Perfect._


	10. Chapter 10: Sugarcube Retreat

Chapter 10: Sugarcube Retreat

_What happened?_

This question refused to go away. No matter how many ways Snips approached it, he couldn't find an answer.

_Things were going so well, _was another recurring phrase.

Snips had hoped that time would take away the sting in his heart. Unfortunately, the weekend wasn't long enough. He awoke this morning feeling extra anxious; today he had to go to school, which meant seeing _her_.

Only one other pony knew what he was going through. After the dance, Snips and Snails only had each other. The magic of friendship carried them through that night. To say that their feelings were hurt was an understatement. Unlike Snips, Snails literally did everything Silver Spoon asked for and more.

"_I'm not going to school anymore, not after tonight. How can I?"_ Snails had said.

After waking up still so upset, Snips asked himself the same question. He was sure that Snails wouldn't be there today, so he couldn't count on him for moral support. The little colt gathered his saddlebags and left his house for school, although he moved with sapped energy.

The sun was bright, in stark contrast with Snips's dreary mood. His stomach normally would be demanding breakfast; a bowl of honey and oats always fueled his tank for the morning, but his appetite had vanished.

The dirt path to school felt longer than usual. At this rate, Snips would be late for school, but it didn't matter to him. He was in no rush to feel awkward and uncomfortable. In his peripheral vision, Snips caught a glimpse of sunlight from the ground. When he turned, an object shined in his face.

He gasped: it was Diamond's tiara.

_What's this doing here?_ Snips picked up the tiara and looked around to make sure no pony was watching. _I better double-check._ He brought the tiara to his nose and took a few sniffs. The scent of expensive mane perfume was unmistakable. _Yup, this is Diamond's._

A little part of him began to feel giddy over the prospect of returning Diamond Tiara's most precious possession. The tiara was a staple of her identity – it was even half of her name! _She must be in complete disarray without it_, he thought. Snips closed his eyes and let his imagination run wild.

_There Diamond Tiara was, sitting in the middle of the schoolyard and crying her eyes out. The top of her head was empty. Ponies from all over, including Silver Spoon, were trying to console her, but nothing could make her stop. Then, on the horizon, an adult unicorn galloped toward the scene with a tiara on his head. Everypony cleared the way as the unicorn went straight to Diamond Tiara. Using his horn's magic, he lifted the tiara from his head and placed it on hers. The pink filly smiled from ear to ear and threw her hooves around him._

_ "Oh, thank you, Snips! Thank you!" Diamond Tiara said, kissing all over the side of his head._

_ "Think nothing of it, my little pony," said Snips, flexing his full-grown unicorn muscles._

When Snips opened his eyes, he was alone. His deserted surroundings brought him back to the grim reality of his life: Diamond Tiara wanted nothing to do with him.

_Whatever._ Snips dropped the tiara back onto the ground and continued on his way. His mind was now made up: no school for him today. As far as he was concerned, relationships were too difficult for him. Now he needed simplicity in his life. He wanted something he could understand.

He needed ice cream.

As chance would have it, the Sugarcube Corner was nearby. _Nothing is simpler than ice cream_, he thought. Although he had no appetite, there was always room for comfort food.

Snails followed his path until he came to the fork that would lead him into the Ponyville town square. When he entered the confectionary, the fresh aroma of candies and cakes filled his senses. Business was slow since it was the first day of the week. Slow business, however, did not mean an empty shop. A lone unicorn sat on a stool by the bar where Mr. Cake stood. Snips moved forward. He could see that the unicorn had his face buried in a dessert bowl of some kind. "Snails? Is that you, pal?"

The gangly unicorn lifted his head; it wobbled as he attempted to fix his gaze on Snips. "Hey there, Snips ol' buddy, ol' pal. Pull up a seat." Snails pounded the counter, "Another round of snicker-doodle pudding bowls!"

Mr. Cake put his hoof down. "I think you've had enough for today, lad."

Rather than protest, Snails gave a single hiccup and dropped his forehead to meet the counter. He let out a miserable groan before rolling his head to one side and closing his eyes.

Mr. Cake grabbed Snails's bowl and started the process of cleaning it. Snips hopped on the stool beside his best friend. Mr. Cake looked at Snips but nodded his head toward Snails. "Are you here for the same reason he is?"

As much as he hated to admit it, Snips had to be honest. "Yes."

Mr. Cake frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that, son." He reached under his hat and pulled out a chocolate chip cookie. He slid it toward Snips. "Here you go. This one's on the house." As the little unicorn nibbled his cookie, Mr. Cake said, "There're plenty of fillies in the sea."

_Yeah, but there's only one Diamond Tiara._ "How much did Snails tell you?"

"Well, he didn't name any names, but he said that you boys went through a lot at the Sadie Hoofkins Dance. That's a shame. Why, I remember when Mrs. Cake asked me to go with her. My goodness, that was forever ago, way before either of you was around."

Snips watched as the bakery owner rotated the pudding bowl under running water. The pudding washed off the bowl with little resistance. If only emotions could erode so easily. "Mr. Cake, how do you and your wife make things work?"

Mr. Cake pulled out a drying cloth and began wiping the bowl. "To tell you the truth, we work hard at it. I tried to tell your friend this, but he was more focused on his pudding. What I wanted to say was this: I love my wife and cannot imagine my life without her, but that doesn't mean everything is always easy. There are times when we disagree." Mr. Cake put the bowl and cloth down and looked at Snips directly. "I've seen a lot of young broken-hearted ponies over the years. Although everypony is different, a lot of their stories have common themes."

"Like what?" Snips was no longer eating his cookie.

"The usual. Young fillies and colts jump hooves-first into a relationship, expecting nothing but good times. Then after the initial excitement wears off, the harder times come. The root of their problem in some form or another is always a conflict of interests. Sometimes ponies simply want different things from each other. At such a young age, I can guarantee you that most ponies don't really know what they want."

Before their conversation could continue, Mrs. Cake peeked out from behind the door to the kitchen. "Dear, do we need any more jelly rolls for Mr. Rich?"

Mr. Cake smacked his forehead. "Oh, that's right! Yes, we do. Could you get two more batches going? He came in this morning and added to his order."

Feeling proud of herself, Mrs. Cake nodded. "Good thing I asked! I'll get started."

Mr. Cake gave her an admiring smile. "You're the best."

Snips's ears had already perked up. "Are you talking about Filthy Rich?"

The yellow pony ducked under the counter and made ruffling noises as if he were looking for something. "The one and only."

Snips couldn't help but want to know more about Filthy Rich's order. "Um, have you done business with Mr. Rich before?"

Mr. Cake came up from the counter with cleaning spray and another drying cloth. He sprayed around Snails's head. "Oh sure, he's hired us to cater for a number of his business functions. He's surprisingly a nice stallion. Yep, Mrs. Cake and I have gotten to know him pretty well over the years. In fact, his little filly had her cute-ceañera here a few years ago. Were you here for that? I remember lots of little ponies that day."

Snails shot open his eyes and lifted his head from the counter; blobs of sugary sweetness plopped from his face back onto the counter. "I was there. Diamond Tiara snapped at me for having one measly bite of her cake. The little wretch barked at me."

Mr. Cake quickly moved to clean the spot from where Snails had lifted his head, but he chuckled. "Yes, Diamond Tiara can get feisty. I remember when her father used to bring her in here all the time. She would say that she wanted everything behind the glass. Poor thing would throw a hissy fit whenever Mr. Rich told her 'no'."

A loud _thump_ came from the kitchen. Mr. Cake turned to Snips and Snails and said, "Be right back, gentlecolts. I gotta help with those jelly rolls." He fled to the kitchen.

Snips gazed at his half-eaten cookie. He wanted to consume every crumb of it, hoping that it would fill the void. It was certainly more comforting than sitting in math class. He looked over at Snails, whose head wobbled as the pudding continued to slide down his face. Seeing how far his best friend had gone to drown his sorrows gave Snips doubts about his cookie.

The kitchen doors blew open, and through them emerged a disheveled Mrs. Cake. She tried her best to re-swirl the top of her mane. She saw that Snips was staring at his cookie. "Is there something the matter with your cookie, honey?"

Snips shook out of his mild stupor. "No, it's great; delicious, even. I just have a lot on my mind."

"Yes, I know," Mrs. Cake admitted. "I'm sorry, but I could hear my husband talking. His voice carries well in our store. Since he's busy with the jelly rolls, do you mind if I take a guess at who your special somepony is?"

"Uh, okay." _There's no way she can know._

"Would it be Mr. Filthy Rich's little filly?"

_How did she guess?!_ Snips didn't say anything. His blushing cheeks answered for him.

"I thought so. She's a cute little pony, that's for sure. Her attitude needs adjusting every now and again, but she's still young."

Snails had ejected himself from the conversation. He began slowly spinning around and around on his stool. Mrs. Cake paid him no heed and instead focused on Snips. "Listen, I know Mr. Cake talked to you, but here's some advice from a married mare. It's a big world out there. You little ponies are entering your prime years, and you have many options. I don't know your personal story, but chances are that Diamond Tiara is confused and doesn't know what she wants. At your age, Mr. Cake and I definitely had no idea what we were going to do."

Without breaking eye contact with Mrs. Cake, Snips slowly put his cookie into his mouth. Her words drew him in like a tractor beam.

"I know that you and your pudding face friend are playing hooky today." Snips was suddenly seized with horror. "Don't worry; Mr. Cake and I remember what it was like being young. We understand what you're going through. With that said, we will only turn a blind eye this one time. If we see you skipping school again, we're going to contact Miss Cheerilee."

Snips took one final swallow of his cookie. "Thank you, Mrs. Cake. I'm sorry. I just really don't want to go back."

The kind mare shook her head. "You can't avoid Diamond Tiara forever, Snips. You're going to see her one way or another. It's just a matter of time."

There was a brief silence. Snips chewed on her words. He knew that he would have to stallion up sooner or later.

Mrs. Cake stepped closer to Snips. "There's one more thing I want to say, and that's this: no matter how nasty she was to you, don't stop being the good colt that you are. You may be tempted to lash out at her, but don't do it – even if you think it'll make you feel good. Being mean won't accomplish anything except damaging yourself. If you have the opportunity to show her kindness, do so. Let her see that there's a better way."

There was another loud _clang_ from the kitchen. Mr. Cake's voice rang out, "Dear, could you give me a hoof with these jelly rolls?"

"Coming!" she called to her husband. She turned to Snips. "I wish we could chat more, but–"

"No, I understand. Duty calls." He watched as Mrs. Cake disappeared behind the kitchen doors.

Snips turned to Snails, who was still twirling on his seat. The unicorn wondered how much his friend listened to Mrs. Cake's advice, but at this point, he didn't really care. "There's something I gotta go do, Snails. I'll catch you later."

"Buh-bye," Snails droned.

Snips picked up his saddle bags and left Sugarcube Corner. His hooves carried him down the path home, until he found what he was looking for. Diamond's tiara rested on the ground untouched, except for a ladybug crawling on it. Snips thought about what Mrs. Cake had said about showing kindness.

_I have to return this to her. Guess that means I'll be at the art show tonight._


End file.
